S2S Comm Broad Agency Announcement Call 1.1

Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Call #1.1:
Link-182 Space-to-Space Comms System Development and Demonstration

The Space Systems Command Spectrum Warfare Delta (SSC/SZW) is seeking state-of-the- art technology advancements for the United States Space Force’s (USSF) space-based communications architecture utilizing a two-phase BAA approach. The Government believes that the best approach for a low size, weight, and power (SWaP) solution in support of Golden Dome (GD) space-based interceptor (SBI) risk reduction and notional comm requirements will fall within the L/S-Band Spectrum and use the Link-182 waveform. The period of performance (POP) for Call 1.1 is 12 months. Due to this schedule constraint, the Government expects Contractors will need to utilize high heritage components and systems that require minimal development modifications.
In Call 1.1 white paper submissions (following instructions set forth in the overall BAA Posting section 5.12), prospective Offerors shall submit a technical approach that describes a proposed solution for the following deliverables:
1. Final design of a Link-182 waveform space qualified flight radio capable of operating from low earth orbit (LEO) to geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) and that can be scaled to delivery quantities of 10,000 within a nominal period of two to five (2-5) years (to be included in a productionization plan).
 Radios must: 1. weigh less than 1.36 kilograms (kg), 2. consume less than 30 watts (W) of power, 3. have a seven (7) year design life, and 4. be able to connect to the National Security Agency (NSA) Type-1 cryptography (crypto)
2. A LEO space-to-space communication demonstration between a Link-182 payload and Link182 radio integrated onto an independent flight test asset of the vendor’s choosing that simulates an element of SBI vehicle flight (nominal distance from transceiver-based spacecraft and nominal vehicle relative velocity) and must occur within the 12-month POP.  An end cryptographic unit (ECU) is not required to be included in the demo  Using an engineering unit for the Link-182 radio component with a design life of 30-90 days will be sufficient for the demo
3. Development and deployment of an Application Programming Interface (API) to enable space-to-space pointing of the Link-182 payload.
During contract execution, the Offeror will also be required to participate in interactive discussions of their delivered results, so the Government may understand the Contractor’s analytical and technical basis for performance and cost conclusions. These discussions may