Space Micro has announced that it has been selected by DARPA as a Prime Contractor for the Inter-Satellite Communications portion of the F6 program. This contract is a multi-year, multi-phase award for $13.7M over 30 months, if all milestones are awarded.

Space Micro is leading an integrated team which includes: Lockheed Martin, Sunnyvale, CA; Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL), Pasadena, CA; and L3 Communications (IEC), Anaheim, CA. Space Micro's team will develop the communications architecture and hardware to enable cross linking at K-band frequencies.

The Space Micro team will develop a new standard for inter-satellite data links that will allow interoperability of spacecraft in secure environments and at significant range. Space Micro's F6 Program Manager David R. Czajkowski said "We are pleased to lead this superb team to meet DARPA's challenging satellite cluster inter-communication needs."

The goal of the System F6 program is to demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of fractionated space architectures, where the functionality traditionally co-resident within a single, large, "monolithic" satellite is delivered by a cluster of wirelessly-interconnected modules capable of sharing their resources.

This architecture enhances the adaptability and survivability of space systems while also shortening development timelines and reducing the barrier-to-entry for participation in secure space applications.