Boeing Co. completed the interim design review of its Transformational Satellite Communications (TSat) space segment, the company announced July 7.

During the review, Boeing demonstrated that the requirements definition, system definition, risk reduction and technology maturity efforts are on track.

Boeing, along with a team led by Lockheed Martin Corp. and Northrop Grumman Corp., received $500 million TSat risk reduction and system definition study contracts in January 2004. Their current efforts run through 2006, when the government will select a winner.

TSat will provide the backbone of the Department of Defense‘s high-bandwidth networked communications. The system is expected to begin operations early next decade.