New York-based L-3 Communications announced Sept. 26 that it has received a $24 million contract to provide S-band communications units under NASA’s Common Communications for Visiting Vehicles (C2V2) program.

NASA’s C2V2 program provides standardized communications between the international space station (ISS) and docking vehicles by using a standard data link for exchanging audio, video and telemetry data at varying data rates and communications ranges.

Under the contract, L-3 Cincinnati Electronics in Mason, Ohio, will design and deliver four S-band flight units, associate flight-equivalent units, spares, ground support equipment and compatibility test sets. The C2V2 program is expected to run at least 13 years.