Maxar Selected by U.S. Space Force to Develop Prototype Mission Data Processing Applications

October 29, 2020

Maxar Technologies  announced that it was selected by the U.S. Space Force to develop prototype mission data processing applications for the Future Operationally Resilient Ground Evolution Mission Data Processing (FORGE MDP) program located within the Cross-Mission Ground & Communications Enterprise at the Space & Missile Systems Center.

Maxar’s prototype applications will provide rapid mission data processing and dissemination services for Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) data from the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) satellites. The contract is valued at $8.5 million over 12 months and was awarded through the Space Enterprise Consortium, managed by Advanced Technology International.

The U.S. Space Force is responsible for processing and managing increasingly large amounts of data from its satellite constellations. FORGE MDP will modernize and streamline the existing ground system into an architecture that is open, scalable, modular and resilient to meet next-generation mission requirements and exploit data from future satellite constellations. As an essential component of FORGE MDP, Maxar’s applications rapidly process satellite data to provide missile warning and other mission-critical notifications.

To create its solution, Maxar assembled an experienced team of industry-recognized technical and programmatic experts in OPIR data processing, distributed tracking and data fusion and UI development, which includes Numerica, Sandia National Laboratories and the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research.

“Maxar has decades of commercial expertise in geospatial information and analytics, satellite technology and ground processing systems,” said Tony Frazier, Maxar’s Executive Vice President of Global Field Operations. “We’re honored to leverage this experience, in combination with the world-class experience of our subcontractors, to deliver innovative solutions that support national security and a more resilient American space enterprise.”