Viasat will build a small LEO communications satellite for the U.S. Air Force.
The company said it won a $10 million contract for a pilot program led
by the Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles directorate to test
the use of a Link 16 terminal on a small satellite in low Earth orbit.
Link 16 is an encrypted radio frequency widely used by the U.S. military
and NATO allies to share information across the battlefield. The 12U
cubesat will launch as soon as next summer to test the feasibility of
using Link 16 terminals on satellites. [SpaceNews]