The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is a research and development agency within the U.S. Department of Defense, responsible for creating breakthrough technologies for national security. While not a space agency, DARPA initiates and manages high-risk, high-payoff projects relevant to space, including satellite constellations, space-based surveillance tech, lunar habitats, and advanced propulsion systems like nuclear thermal rockets. DARPA partners with various organizations, including NASA, U.S. Space Force, Lockheed Martin, SpaceX, and BAE Systems, to achieve its goals. Keywords associated with DARPA's space activities include space superiority, space-based weaponry, advanced materials, and autonomous systems.
All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.
In 2010 DARPA awarded Inmarsat an $18,000,000 contract for a program called Persistent Broadband Ground Connectivity for Spacecraft in Low Earth Orbit to use Inmarsat’s Broadband Global Area Network for communications with satellites in low Earth orbit.
Pam Melroy, a former NASA astronaut who flew on three shuttle missions and later worked at the FAA commercial space office and DARPA, is a member of the NASA agency review team.
Astra competed in the DARPA Launch Challenge in March with Rocket 3.0 and scrubbed a launch attempt less than a minute before liftoff, forgoing eligibility for a $2,000,000 prize had Rocket 3.0 reached orbit.
The DARPA contract with Blue Canyon Technologies for the Blackjack program includes options for DARPA to buy up to 20 satellites for $99,400,000.
DARPA awarded Blue Canyon Technologies a $14,100,000 contract in July to produce four satellite buses for the Blackjack program.
DARPA’s RSGS program will demonstrate satellite servicing using a government-developed servicing payload installed on a billboard satellite bus provided by Northrop Grumman.
Telesat has an $18,300,000 DARPA contract to provide two satellites for the Blackjack low-Earth-orbit constellation.
Telesat plans to supply DARPA with two modified Airbus Arrow spacecraft for the Blackjack contract because Telesat has not yet selected a satellite manufacturer for Telesat LEO.
Telesat won an $18,300,000 contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to produce two satellite buses for the Blackjack low-Earth orbit constellation on 2020-10-14.
Telesat’s DARPA contract includes options worth up to $175,600,000 for 20 additional buses.
Telesat has not yet selected a bus manufacturer for its 298-satellite constellation and adapted the Airbus Arrow for the DARPA program to meet the Blackjack delivery schedule.
If DARPA exercises contract options for 20 buses, Telesat will offer the produced buses for its own constellation, which is projected to start launching in 2022.
DARPA plans to deploy 20 spacecraft connected by optical inter-satellite links to demonstrate military uses of a low-Earth orbit network for communications, missile tracking, and navigation.
DARPA selected Colorado-based Blue Canyon Technologies as one of the satellite bus suppliers for Blackjack in October 2018.
DARPA awarded Blue Canyon Technologies a $14,100,000 contract in June 2020 to manufacture four Blackjack satellites with options worth $99,000,000 for up to 20 satellites.
DARPA plans to launch as many as 20 small satellites for the Blackjack program to demonstrate a mesh network in low Earth orbit that can meet military requirements at lower cost and shorter design cycles than traditional Pentagon programs.
The Defense Department announced Victoria Coleman’s selection as DARPA director on 2020-08-31.
Astra’s Rocket 3.0 attempted to launch from Kodiak in March as part of the DARPA Launch Challenge and was scrubbed less than a minute before liftoff because of an anomalous signal in vehicle telemetry.
Airbus U.S. has executed a phase 1 contract for engineering work on the DARPA Blackjack program.
Fred Kennedy established the DARPA responsive launch competition while director of DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office.