Comsat Laboratories received a contract from NASA to design and deliver a space communications test bed that emulates an interplanetary communication network, Comsat announced July 5.

The test bed will consist of software and hardware modules that emulate communication elements on remote surface platforms, planetary orbiters, relay satellites, earth orbit satellites and earth stations. NASA expects to use the system to test communication links, protocol stacks, operational parameters and mission applications.

The one-year contract is valued at $3.7 million, with Comsat receiving $2.3 million and the remaining $1.4 million divided among NASA’s Glenn Research Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Goddard Space Flight Center and Langley Research Center.