Boeing receives a contract to build the 12th Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) communications satellite. Photo: Boeing

The U.S. Space Force is seeking industry feedback by Dec. 2 to help the service determine an acquisition strategy for Commercial and Military Satellite Communications Operations Support (COSMOS) — a future follow-on to the Wideband Satellite Communications Operations and Technical Support II (WSOTS II) contract.

More than a year before the creation of the Space Force in December 2019, the U.S. Army awarded Harris, now part of L3Harris, a nearly $218 million contract for WSOTS II through until 2027.

The current contract has been to support 21 sites including operations and maintenance, life-cycle engineering, technical assistance, equipment installation, depot-level repair, logistics, cyber security, and training and sustainment.

Harris received the first contract to support the Army’s wideband satellite network in 2012.

“COSMOS will retain the current WSOTS II efforts in providing support to Space Operations Command (SpOC), Space Delta 8 (DEL 8), 53rd Space Operations Squadron (53 SOPS) and the Satellite Communications Office,” Space Force’s Space Acquisitions and Integration Office said in a Nov. 6 business notice.

The contract for WSOTS II is to end on Jan. 31, 2027.

Del 8 “is the focal point for U.S. protected and assured MILSATCOM,” while 53 SOPS provides “real-time correlated monitoring, control and management of MILSATCOM through five geographically separated Wideband SATCOM Operations Centers”–the access to DoD Wideband SATCOM and the “first line of defense for assigned satellites, terminals and users.”

SATCOM Office personnel manage payloads and support Regional SATCOM Support Centers (RSSCs).

COSMOS is to provide “services including system administration, operations support, training, database management, and network analysis of the Wideband Global Satellite System (WGS) and Defense Satellite Communication System (DSCS) constellations,” Space Force said.

Boeing is the contractor for WGS, Lockheed Martin for DSCS.

The COSMOS contract will provide “DoD organizations with systems administration support and maintenance services associated with the Wideband SATCOM Operations Management System (WSOMS), which enables payload control on the WGS and DSCS satellites,” according to the business notice.

“Services provided include on-site and technical assistance at worldwide locations including 5 WSOCs, 4 RSSCs, 3 DISA management sites, and international partners,” Space Force said.

This story was first published by Defense Daily