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Air Force Awards $2B contract for TSAT Mission Operations System

By 1st Lt. Doug McFarland, MILSATCOM Joint Program Office / Published March 08, 2006

LOS ANGELES AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The Transformational Satellite Communications System Mission Operations System will provide network management for the TSAT system, providing network-centric interoperability between TSAT and the Department of Defense’s Global Information Grid. For the joint warfighter and deployed worldwide users, this means they are one step closer to obtaining network-centric warfare.
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LOS ANGELES AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The Transformational Satellite Communications System Mission Operations System will provide network management for the TSAT system, providing network-centric interoperability between TSAT and the Department of Defense’s Global Information Grid. For the joint warfighter and deployed worldwide users, this means they are one step closer to obtaining network-centric warfare.

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LOS ANGELES AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The Air Force announced the award of the Transformational Satellite Communications System Mission Operations System contract to Lockheed Martin Integrated Systems and Solutions of San Jose, Calif., recently. 

The $2 billion award will cover a period of 10 years and will include development and fielding of the initial TMOS capability.

The TMOS will provide network management for the TSAT system, providing network-centric interoperability between TSAT and the Department of Defense’s Global Information Grid. For the joint warfighter and deployed worldwide users, this means they are one step closer to obtaining network centric warfare as envisioned by the Army Future Force, Air Force Vision 2020 and Navy SeaPower 21.

“The networking capabilities provided by TMOS will be the cornerstone for the future Military Satellite Communications architecture,” said Brig. Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski, program director for the MILSATCOM Joint Program Office.

The two essential functions of TMOS are providing long-term policy and operational planning and enabling real-time management of the operation and configuration of the TSAT network. This functionality is similar to typical commercial ground-based network operations centers already in use but also includes additional enhancements for military applications.

Once fielded, TSAT will provide the warfighter with internet-like capability as the space-borne component of the Global Information Grid. TSAT will provide the warfighter with persistent real-time worldwide connectivity for Communications on the Move and Air & Space Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance assets.

The TSAT satellites, ground gateways and satellite command and control are currently being defined by the program’s Space Segment using two competing contractor teams. As the TSAT program progresses, the TMOS Segment will be collaborating with the two Space Segment contractor teams to define the network architecture and interface between the TMOS system and the satellites. Eventually a single Space Segment contractor will be selected to work side-by-side with the TMOS Segment during the design and development phase of the TSAT program.

Once the TSAT system reaches Initial Operational Capability, expected in 2016, “TMOS will provide the information flow management and mission planning for the TSAT System. It will also be able to plan for the Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite system,” said General Pawlikowski.