BAE Systems will develop a space evaluation and analysis testbed that enables the military to develop, integrate and analyze advanced space enterprise command and control (C2) under a contract announced by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) on Tuesday.
Under the contract, which could total up to $12.8 million, BAE Systems will develop testbed software architecture that will function as the framework of a future testbed facility, the Space Enterprise Analysis Capability (SEAC). The testbed will support the military’s Hallmark program, which aims to facilitate fast planning, assessment and execution of military operations from space.
BAE Systems’ Hallmark testbed architecture will feature live data feeds and external interfaces to support air, cyber, land, and sea environments. Modeling of current and future space situational awareness and C2 technologies will also be supported by the testbed. Additionally, the testbed will have security protocols to protect data with varying levels of classification.
“Military commanders must have superior space domain awareness in order to quickly assess, plan and execute operations in this increasingly complex environment,” Mike Penzo, the director of ground resiliency and analytics at BAE Systems, said. “The Hallmark testbed is designed to help the military quickly evaluate and integrate technologies for space C2.”
The contract calls for BAE Systems’ cognitive evaluation team to conduct exercises at the SEAC facility. The team will use the exercises to gather metrics and to identify new tools and technologies that could help the Joint Space Operations Center and the National Space Defense Center.