Rendering of five BlueBird satellites from AST SpaceMobile unfolded in space. Photo: AST SpaceMobile

The Space Development Agency (SDA) on Monday said it has awarded a $30 million prototype contract to AST SpaceMobile to demonstrate low-latency tactical satellite communications using the company’s commercial spacecraft.

The Other Transaction Agreement is for Track 2 of the Europa program and the first overall for Europa. The demonstrations are slated to be completed by December 2027, SDA said.

AST SpaceMobile will leverage its BlueBird commercial satellite constellation for the series of resilient tactical satellite communications demonstrations between military radios, showcasing the delivery of data products as-a-service to the space agency, the Texas-based company said.

AST SpaceMobile recently saw the successful deployment of the first revamped BlueBird satellite, which launched in late 2025. The satellite, BlueBird 6, is the largest commercial communications array antenna ever deployed in LEO at 2,400 square feet.

SDA last summer released the Europa solicitation seeking proposals for Track 1, a two-satellite demonstration of advanced tactical waveforms requiring the launch of new spacecraft, and Track 2, commercial solutions that will demonstrate novel waveforms using existing space assets.

The solicitation was only open to the 19 vendors selected for the Hybrid Acquisition of Low-Earth Orbit (HALO) contract vehicle in October of 2024.

“The acquisition flexibility afforded by the HALO Europa program leverages commercial investments and enables learning at speed,” GP Sandhoo, SDA’s acting director, said in a statement. “We are now using commercial solutions to quickly demonstrate mission utility, reduce risk for the operational layers of future tranches of the PWSA (Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture), and accelerate the delivery of cutting-edge capability to the warfighter.”

This story was first published by Defense Daily