Boeing has won a $2 billion U.S. Space Force contract to build two next-generation satellites for the Mobile User Objective System, beating out incumbent Lockheed Martin to extend the life of one of the Pentagon's most important secure communications networks.
Keeping a critical SATCOM network alive
Space Systems Command announced that Boeing will develop, deliver and conduct on-orbit testing of the sixth and seventh MUOS satellites under the program's Service Life Extension effort, with launches slated no earlier than 2031 and 2032. MUOS operates as a global, space-based cellular network, giving warfighters secure ultra-high-frequency connectivity from small mobile terminals even in crowded terrain, dense urban areas and harsh weather. The award keeps the constellation operational through the mid-2030s.
A changing of the guard
Lockheed Martin built the original five MUOS satellites and served as prime contractor from 2004, launching the fleet into geosynchronous orbit between 2012 and 2016. The Space Force took over the constellation in 2023 and awarded Boeing and Lockheed Martin $66 million each in 2024 for preliminary design and risk-reduction work before selecting Boeing for the production phase. The two new spacecraft will extend the system's Wideband Code Division Multiple Access capability, which converts commercial 3G cellular technology into a secure military network.
Part of a wider military space build-out
"This award strengthens our global communications infrastructure," said Erin Carper, acting Space Force program acquisition executive for SATCOM and PNT, adding that secure connectivity enhances operational effectiveness worldwide. The contract caps an active stretch of defense space activity, alongside MDA Space's $620 million acquisition of Blue Canyon Technologies, Rocket Lab's record-setting Victus Haze responsive-space mission, and orbital infrastructure efforts such as SpaceX's Starmind orbital data-center constellation.
For Boeing, the win is a notable defense-space contract that reasserts its role in military satellite communications as competition for Pentagon space programs intensifies.
Reporting based on coverage from DefenseScoop and Space Systems Command.