Blackjack
SEAKR wins $60 million DARPA contract to demonstrate autonomous satellite operations
DARPA awarded SEAKR Engineering a $60.4 million contract to develop a data processing system for satellites to operate autonomously.
DARPA satellites damaged at processing facility ahead of SpaceX launch
Two satellites from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency that were part of a SpaceX rideshare mission were damaged Jan. 4 at the payload processing facility.
DARPA okays Blue Canyon’s satellites for Blackjack program
The satellites Blue Canyon developed for DARPA's Blackjack program — based on the company's commercial X-SAT bus — passed a critical design review.
Telesat wins DARPA contract to manufacture satellite buses for Blackjack program
Telesat won a $18.3 million DARPA contract to produce two satellite buses for the Blackjack low-Earth orbit constellation.
Blue Canyon selects Orbion electric thrusters for DARPA’s Blackjack satellites
Orbion is a four-year-old startup in Houghton, Michigan, that specializes in Hall-effect plasma thrusters for small satellites.
DARPA’s Stephen Forbes named Blackjack program manager
Forbes has been Blackjack’s deputy program manager since 2018.
Loft Orbital satellite to carry experiment for DARPA’s Blackjack program
DARPA's Pit Boss experiment, dubbed Sagittarius A*, is projected to launch in early 2021.
Blue Canyon Technologies could produce up to 20 satellite buses for DARPA’s Blackjack
If DARPA exercises all options, the contract awarded to Blue Canyon Technologies has a potential value of $99.4 million.
Raytheon wins $37 million DARPA contract for Blackjack payloads
The contract awarded to Raytheon is for Overhead Persistent Infrared sensor payloads.
DARPA awards Blackjack contracts to Blue Canyon, SA Photonics
Blue Canyon received a contract for satellite buses. SA Photonics' contract is for optical communications terminals.
DARPA to begin launching Blackjack satellites in late 2020
Three payloads will fly to low Earth orbit in late 2020 and early 2021 to start building an optically meshed network.
Lockheed Martin wins DARPA contract to integrate Blackjack satellites
Lockheed Martin will integrate satellite buses and payloads with data processors.
DARPA’s big bet on Blackjack
The pressure is on for Blackjack to deliver on its stated goal: deploy 20 satellites by 2022 to demonstrate that LEO systems can be a more resilient and affordable alternative to the Defense Department’s exquisite and costly geosynchronous satellites.
DARPA assembling team of Blackjack players
Commercial space companies regard Blackjack as a huge opportunity to break into the military market, and have urged DARPA to not allow Blackjack to turn into a typical plodding Pentagon procurement program.
Telesat wins study contract for DARPA’s experimental constellation
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has awarded satellite operator Telesat a contract to study the use of commercial buses in the agency’s experimental low-Earth-orbit constellation program known as Blackjack.
