US Space Force awards $287 mln contract to Sphinx Defense for ESS ground segment software

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The Space Force awarded a major contract on July 27 as part of its competition to develop the core mission planning software that will manage its future fleet of nuclear command and control satellites.

Space Systems Command (SSC) announced a $287 million award to Sphinx Defense to develop a mission planning prototype for the Evolved Strategic Satellite Communications (ESS) program's ground segment. The application will help the service manage the network, apportion bandwidth among users, and provide the President and other national leaders with resilient, secure communications.

"This award delivers the vital mission planning capability for ESS, ensuring the ground segment is fully prepared to manage complex global scenarios," SSC said in a statement. "By leveraging competitive prototyping during the earlier phases, Space Systems Command is fielding an application that is both highly capable and ready to integrate seamlessly into the larger enterprise."

Program Background

ESS will eventually take over the nuclear mission currently performed by the Space Force's Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellite constellation. The program is a key component of the Pentagon's broader effort to modernize the nuclear enterprise.

The ESS ground segment—dubbed the Ground Resilient Integration Framework for Operational NC3 (GRIFFON) —will manage the strategic communication satellites and the capabilities they provide once on orbit. The Space Force aims to field GRIFFON much faster than it has historically delivered ground segments, which traditionally lag behind satellite development and often leave untapped capability on orbit. The goal is to cut the traditional timeline in half—from 12 years to six.

Acquisition Strategy

To accelerate delivery, the service is utilizing flexible acquisition tools, including:

• The Pentagon's software acquisition pathway, which allows military services to buy software more rapidly
• A novel competitive prototyping approach, with companies building competing ground segment prototypes across four segments:

| Segment | Focus | |---------|-------| | Framework | Establishing a modular, open architecture that can host multiple mission applications and services | | Ground integration | Internal and external ground interfaces, including command and control terminals and space ground links | | System of systems integration | Integration of space and ground cryptographic terminals | | Mission applications | Ranging from testing and training support to command and control and mission planning |

"The competitive prototypes that ESS utilized to acquire and develop the software showcased an approach not previously used for DOD software acquisition on this scale," SSC said in a March 2025 article. "As a result ESS was able to drastically shorten fielding timelines and system costs. Conservative estimates show that ESS ground software will deliver user-driven capability twice as fast as an average traditional ground system."

According to SSC, this iterative development strategy means the latest mission application award builds on previous phases of competitive prototypes.

Program Status and Timeline

Charlotte Gerhart, deputy portfolio acquisition executive for satellite communications and positioning, navigation, and timing, told Air & Space Forces Magazine in a recent interview that the broader GRIFFON acquisition effort is progressing well and is on schedule to support the first ESS satellites once they are ready to launch.

"They are absolutely making really great progress," Gerhart said. "You've got to have a ground system. Otherwise, there's no point in launching something."

The first two spacecraft, being built by Boeing under a $2.8 billion contract, are expected to be delivered by 2031. That contract, issued in 2025, includes an option to buy two more spacecraft.

Budget

The Space Force's fiscal 2027 budget request includes $1.8 billion for ESS:

• $1.2 billion+ for satellite development
• ~$571 million for GRIFFON

Between fiscal years 2028 and 2031, the service expects to need approximately $4.8 billion to fund the effort.

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org