Capacity on a Uhf-Capable On-Orbit MEO Satellite
Updated
Sources Sought from the Department of the Air Force, for work in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Due Dec 1, 2026, 2:00 PM (UTC-7), 17 days left.
| Title as posted | CAPACITY ON A UHF-CAPABLE ON-ORBIT MEO SATELLITE |
|---|---|
| Solicitation number | RFI-RJZX-2026-RAPID |
| Agency | Department of the Air Force |
| Office | FA9453 Afrl Rjz |
| Notice type | Sources Sought |
| Set-aside | None |
| Trade (NAICS) | Satellite Telecommunications (517410) |
| Product or service code | DG11 |
| Place of performance | Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Posted | Nov 13, 2026 |
| Response deadline | Dec 1, 2026, 2:00 PM (UTC-7) (17 days left) |
| Add the deadline to | Google Calendar · Apple / Outlook (.ics) |
Bid documents (2)
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Federal prevailing wage rates for this place: New Mexico Davis-Bacon and SCA wage determinations.
Description
This Request for Information (RFI) is focused on obtaining access to bandwidth carried by a commercially owned, commercially operated UHF-capable on-orbit MEO satellite for use in a near-term experimental campaign to: Characterize spectrum, waveform, and user equipment operation with a MEO UHF system Demonstrate interoperability between a potential future MEO UHF system and the existing GEO constellation Inform a time-sequenced pathway to augment or replace the GEO UHF system with a MEO capability The offeror should consider technology solutions that prioritize existing space vehicle, payload and communications link capabilities to provide on-orbit service immediately or as soon as possible.
An Initial Launch Capability (ILC) by 2030 is potentially useful, but innovative approaches leading to earlier on-orbit capability are strongly desired. The Government recognizes that this initial prototype may not be fully representative of a final, future architecture, but rather represents an initial step to explore providing UHF services from MEO. AMENDMENT 1 (23 Jul 2026) The following changes are hereby made to the above announcement: Corrects the uplink and downlink frequency bands in Section 4.0.a.i The attachment entitled "pMEO Demo Request for Information_FINAL 10 Jul 26" is removed in its entirety and replaced with "pMEO Demo Request for Information_AMEND1 23 Jul 26".
All other RFI content and due dates remain unchanged. Refer to the attachment entitled "pMEO Demo Request for Information_AMEND1 23 Jul 26" for full details. REACTIVATED (13 Nov 2026) All RFI content remain unchanged.
Due date for Statement of Capabilities is 01 Dec 2026. Refer to the attachment entitled "pMEO Demo Request for Information_AMEND1 23 Jul 26" for full details.
Contracting contact
- Paola Sanchez-Medina · [email protected]
- DeAnna R. Salazar · [email protected]
As published on the official notice. Ask questions in writing and before any questions deadline the notice sets.
Is your business small enough?
For NAICS 517410, a business counts as small if it has no more than $44.0 million in average annual receipts (SBA size standard). This notice is not set aside, but the size decides your small business status on it. SBA table, current as of Oct 15, 2026.
Notice history
- Nov 13, 2026: Sources Sought Due Dec 1, 2026, 2:00 PM (UTC-7)
- Aug 5, 2026: Sources Sought Due Aug 10, 2026, 2:00 PM (UTC-6)
- Jul 28, 2026: Sources Sought Due Aug 10, 2026, 2:00 PM (UTC-6)
- Jul 24, 2026: Sources Sought Due Aug 10, 2026, 2:00 PM (UTC-6)
- Jul 10, 2026: Sources Sought Due Aug 10, 2026, 2:00 PM (UTC-6)
Companies that win this kind of work
Federal contractors paid for satellite telecommunications work, who also hold Air Force contracts (last 12 months): possible competitors, or partners to team with.
- Space Exploration Technologies Corp. $521.9 million in this trade
- Global Enterprise Solutions, Inc. $143.2 million in this trade
- Inmarsat Government, Inc. $108.2 million in this trade
- L3HARRIS Technologies Integrated Systems L.P. $72.9 million in this trade
- L3HARRIS Technologies, Inc. $24.2 million in this trade
About the buyer
The Department of the Air Force awarded $83.1 billion in contracts in the last 12 months; its biggest suppliers were The Boeing Company, The Boeing Company and Raytheon Company. See what Air Force is buying now.
Satellite Telecommunications contracts right now
There are 14 open government contract opportunities in this trade (NAICS 517410), 5 posted in the last 7 days; 43% are set aside for small businesses. The agencies buying the most are Department of the Air Force, Department of Veterans Affairs and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Most of the work with a stated place is in California, New Mexico and Maryland. A notice in this trade gives a median of 29 days from posting to deadline; this one gives 18 days.
All open satellite telecommunications contracts
Coming up in this trade
Planned contracts from the agencies' procurement forecasts, often months before a solicitation. Plans can change.
Recent awards in this trade
- Global Enterprise Solutions, Inc. $5.6 million · National Aeronautics and Space Administration · Sep 23, 2026
From the award notices agencies publish.