Air Force Moves Out on TSAT Contract

Late last month the U.S. Air Force canceled the TSAT program with a goal of restructuring it. Now Reuters is reporting that the U.S Air Force is moving out quickly on the new, restructured program. The plan is to release a RFP around April and award a new contract by the beginning of 2010. The new contract will be for a more limited satellite program with a goal of accelerating the capability availability. The TSAT is supposed to replace existing communication satellites and provide significant increases in capability and rapidity of communications. The original program like so many others was aggressive in speed and requirements. It ended up collapsed under these two somewhat counter intuitive goals. Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman can be expected to have interest in the new program.