NASA seeks industry input to expand space relay and navigation services
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jun 17, 2025

NASA has issued a formal request for information from domestic and international companies on their capabilities to provide satellite-based communication and navigation services near Earth. The effort aims to transition space mission support from government-operated systems to commercial satellite services.

This call is part of the agency's broader Communications Services Project, which seeks to develop partnerships with private industry to address the needs of upcoming science and exploration missions. "As part of NASA's Communications Services Project, the agency is working with private industry to solve challenges for future exploration," said Kevin Coggins, deputy associate administrator of NASA's SCaN Program. "Through this effort, NASA missions will have a greater ability to command spacecraft, resolve issues in flight, and bring home more data and scientific discoveries collected across the solar system."

The initiative follows NASA's November 2024 announcement that the TDRS (Tracking and Data Relay Satellite) system will be limited to supporting current missions only. Rather than replacing the system with another government-operated network, NASA intends to become one of many customers for commercial providers.

By relying on commercially developed relay systems, the agency aims to enhance mission resilience and increase data throughput while promoting private investment in the near-Earth space sector. The agency anticipates that commercial services may begin supporting missions as early as 2028, with operational testing and validation extending through 2031.

The Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program issued the request for information on May 30. Interested parties must submit responses by 5 p.m. EDT on Friday, July 11.

Related Links
Communications Services Project
Space Technology News - Applications and Research