Spacecraft built to talk to NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellites now have three possible commercial replacements, and none of those missions will need to modify their onboard systems to use them. NASA selected Astranis Space Technologies Corp., Global Enterprise Solutions Inc. and Viasat Inc. on Nov. 4, 2026, to develop Ka-band space relay concepts that work with missions already in orbit. The three firm-fixed-price awards carry combined maximum potential values of more than $1 billion, and NASA can fund each team from early concept work through an in-orbit flight demonstration.
The contracts come under Appendix E of the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships-3 (NextSTEP-3) Broad Agency Announcement, which NASA runs as Project NEXUS, short for Network Extension for User Continuity and Sustainability. The work is facilitated through the Communications Services Project of NASA's Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program.
Who Got What Under the NEXUS Ka-Band Awards?
NASA listed each contract at its maximum potential value, inclusive of all future options:
- Astranis Space Technologies Corp.: $264.3 million
- Global Enterprise Solutions Inc.: $340.4 million
- Viasat Inc.: $460.9 million
Those figures are ceilings, not obligated funding. NASA described the awards as firm-fixed-price contracts that "give NASA the option to provide additional funding up to the award limit to advance from initial concept development and risk reduction to an in-orbit flight demonstration." The initial period of performance runs from Nov. 4, 2026, through May 3, 2027. Priced options would carry the work through 2029.
The spread between the awards is notable. Astranis holds the smallest ceiling of the three, while Global Enterprise Solutions sits in the middle at $340.4 million. Viasat's ceiling is the largest. The agency's release does not describe the technical architecture any team proposed, and NASA's solicitation states that "all proposed satellite orbit solutions are acceptable," so the program did not dictate a single orbit regime.
Why NASA Needs a TDRS-Compatible Relay Before 2031
NASA has decided to gradually retire the TDRS fleet and adopt commercial services for future missions. Commercial capabilities are already under development with the program's industry partners. The problem is a set of missions already flying that cannot easily move over.
The agency put it plainly in the award announcement: "Ka-band services are needed to support select in-orbit missions that cannot feasibly modify flight hardware or transition to non-compatible commercial services."
The NEXUS solicitation page lays out the timing pressure. "As the aging Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRS) declines," it states, NASA's objective is to acquire an end-to-end Ka-band relay service "that is backward compatible with legacy TDRS users for a minimum of fifteen years." The solicitation adds that industry is being asked to develop and demonstrate the capability "to reduce growing continuity risk in the 2029- 2031 timeframe."
That window helps explain the structure of the awards. With priced options running through 2029, the program appears designed to put a demonstrated relay capability in place ahead of the 2029 to 2031 continuity risk period NASA describes.
How the Phased Down-Select Will Work
NASA's solicitation, number 80MSFC26R0006, describes a "phased competitive Research and Development (R&D) acquisition." The agency said it anticipated "multiple initial Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) awards with progressive down selects based on demonstrated performance, technical credibility, and commercial viability."
In practice, the three Nov. 4 awards look like entry tickets. Each team starts with concept development and risk reduction during the initial period ending May 3, 2027. NASA then has the option to provide additional funding that moves a team toward a flight demonstration, up to the award limit. Because the ceilings are maximums, a team that does not advance could see far less than its ceiling spent.
The procurement moved steadily. NASA issued the synopsis on March 23, 2026, announced a draft solicitation on April 10, announced the final solicitation on June 4, and followed with five amendments between June 22 and July 16. Awards came about three and a half months after the last amendment.
NASA as One Customer Among Many
The agency is seeking a service, and it expects the providers to find other customers. "Through this work, NASA will aim to acquire end-to-end solutions that include space, ground, launch, operations, and integration elements, as one of many customers in the commercial marketplace," the announcement said.
The solicitation is more direct about the business-case requirement: "NASA does not anticipate being the sole commercial customer and anticipates proposed solutions to be supported by a broader commercial business case beyond NASA." Proposed solutions are expected to cover the space segment, launch services as applicable, ground and network infrastructure, and service operations and maintenance.
NASA also preserved its options for the operational phase. The solicitation says the agency may use demonstration results, technical data and operational insight from NEXUS "to inform future acquisition strategies for operational services," while "preserving full and open competition for those services." Winning a NEXUS demonstration, in other words, does not guarantee the long-term service contract.
What It Means for Contractors
For the three awardees, the near-term task is to clear the first stage by May 2027. The firm-fixed-price structure puts cost risk on the companies, and the commercial-viability criterion means each team must show NASA a market for its relay beyond the agency's legacy fleet.
For the wider space communications supply chain, the program likely creates subcontracting openings across ground stations, network integration, Ka-band payload hardware and launch. Because each team is expected to deliver a full end-to-end solution, suppliers should approach each prime separately rather than expect a single NASA-run integration effort.
For firms that did not bid or were not selected, the operational service competition remains open. NASA's solicitation says it intends to preserve full and open competition for those services and may draw on NEXUS lessons to shape that acquisition. Companies with relay or Ka-band capability should watch the NEXUS solicitation page for updates and for signals about when the operational procurement will start.
Finally, the program shows one way NASA is handling the TDRS retirement: commercial services for new missions, and a narrow, backward-compatible bridge for the missions that cannot change. Contractors selling into SCaN should expect NASA to act as one customer among many in these commercial relay markets.
