WASHINGTON — Booz Allen Hamilton won a seven-year $630 million contract from the U.S. Space Force for systems engineering and integration of satellite systems used for missile warning, environmental monitoring and surveillance, the company announced Oct. 4.
Based in McLean, Virginia, Booz Allen is a large consulting firm that provides management and technology services. The Space Force contract is for support services of satellite programs run by the Space Systems Command’s space sensing program office, including the Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) and legacy constellations.
The company originally won the Space Sensing Systems Engineering and Integration contract in 2022 but the award was put on hold due to protests.
Booz Allen will be responsible for the integration of different elements of major space sensing programs, such as the satellites and ground stations used for missile warning and missile tracking, environmental monitoring and other data collection from space, Eric Hoffman, vice president and leader of Booz Allen’s space business, told SpaceNews.
The role of the systems integrator is significant in a program like Next-Generation OPIR where there are different contractors working on the satellites and the ground systems, he said.
“The government has to essentially act as the integrator and make sure all these things come together and ultimately deliver warfighter capability,” Hoffman added. “Our role is to help make that happen, make sure that digital engineering environments are set up and can talk to each other, and the ground systems are synchronized.”
Another task under this contract is to support the users of the infrared imagery and other data collected by satellites. “There’s so much more that can be done with the data that comes off of the various platforms,” Hoffman said. Booz Allen will apply artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to help operators analyze data, he said.
Contract under protest for 16 months
The Space Sensing SE&I contract was previously held by SAIC. The Space Force recompeted it and selected Booz Allen in January 2022. Shortly after, the award was protested by SAIC and Mantech International.
After the bid protests were settled, the Space Force was cleared to move forward with the contract award to Booz Allen in June 2023.
