A U.S. Space Force official at the Joint Commercial Operations center in Colorado Springs briefs a congressional delegation visit July 9, 2026. Credit: U.S. Space Force photo by Dalton Prejeant
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force selected 15 companies to compete for as much as $981 million in orders to build satellites, sensors and other systems intended to make military space training more realistic.
The six-year contracting vehicle, known as NITE-STAR, will support development of the National Space Test and Training Complex, a network of physical ranges and simulated environments where operators can practice responding to threats against U.S. satellites.
The $981 million represents the maximum value of task orders that can be issued across all 15 companies through July 2032, rather than an immediate award. The contract has a five-year base period and a one-year option, Space Systems Command said in a July 30 announcement.
The selected vendors are Amentum, BAE Systems, Boeing, CACI, Firefly Aerospace, L3Harris Technologies, Lockheed Martin Space, Northrop Grumman, Pacific Crest Alliance, Parsons Government Services, Redwire, Rocket Lab, Sierra Space, Viasat and York Space Systems.
