WASHINGTON — The Space Force has tapped 15 vendors to compete for a $981 million contract pool aimed at getting training capabilities to Guardians over the next five years, as senior officials fret gaps caused by a lack of instructors, facilities and simulators needed for key mission areas.
The effort has a heck of a moniker, according to an announcement today from Space Systems Command (SSC): the National Space Test and Training Complex (NSTTC) Innovative Technology & Engineering — Space Test and Range (NITE-STAR) Capability Development. The multiple-award indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract vehicle is designed to “accelerate” the development of “advanced” training tools to ensure that Guardians “are prepared for engagements against peer adversaries.”
The 15 winning companies are: Amentum Technology, BAE Systems, CACI, Firefly Aerospace, L3Harris Technologies, Lockheed Martin Space, Northrup Grumman, Pacific Crest Alliance, Parsons Government Services, Redwire Space Missions, Rocket Lab USA, Sierra Space Corporation, Boeing, Viasat, and York Space Systems.
The NITE-STAR contract, managed by SSC’s System Delta 81 responsible for delivering capabilities to Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM), will support the sprawling Space Force effort to create an Operational Test and Tracking Infrastructure (OTTI).
