BlueHalo, the company transforming the future of global defense, announced the successful completion of a critical milestone for the U.S. Space Force (USSF) Space Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO) Satellite Communication Augmentation Resource (SCAR) program by demonstrating its integrated backend mission services to USSF Guardian operators at the 2024 Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, CO.
"Amid an increasingly congested and contested space domain, BlueHalo understands that innovation must reach the front lines rapidly," said Jonathan Moneymaker, BlueHalo Chief Executive Officer. "Working hand-in-hand with our customers and partners, we're proud to showcase our tremendous progress in delivering the capacity, flexibility, and sustainability for critical Space Force satellite command and control needs."
During the demonstration–which was hosted inside BlueHalo's mobile command center, showcasing the system's capacity to support mobile communications operations–Guardians received an operator orientation for the SCAR system interface, including the system scheduler and backend mission processor, which will pair with BlueHalo's BADGER phased array antenna to provide multi-beam, multi-orbit mission operations.
"We are excited to show Guardians, for the first time, the capability to easily identify satellite contacts and manage communication schedules using the new SCAR technology," said Moneymaker. "It was important to get this technology in front of the Guardians to collect valuable insight from those who will soon rely on this system for space operations moving forward. The input they've provided this week will shape our national capabilities for decades."
The $1.4B Satellite Communication Augmentation Resource (SCAR) program was announced by the USSF Space RCO in May of 2022 to significantly increase satellite control capacity and support their dynamic missions going forward. The program covers initial design through full-rate production–delivering a fleet of transportable, ground-based phased-array antennas and accompanying ground electronics and software to provide robust, flexible command and control capabilities for USSF satellites.
Last fall, BlueHalo hosted U.S. Space Force officials along with key partners and federal leaders to demonstrate the Company's progress on the SCAR program. Using a sub-scale version of the full production unit, BlueHalo successfully validated the core BADGER digital beamforming technology. BADGER received and processed RF signals in two bands through open-air transmission at a distance, showcasing the system's capability for simultaneous multi-band operations using live feeds. With the insight gained from Guardian feedback during the orientation milestone, BlueHalo will integrate the backend mission services into the BADGER Engineering Development Unit (EDU) later this year.
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