Space-based data networking contract awarded to Hughes
NewsMarch 09, 2026
GERMANTOWN, Md. Hughes Network Systems announced that it won the Space Technology Advanced Research – Fast-tracking Innovative Software and Hardware (STAR-FISH) award from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Rapid Architecture Prototyping and Integration Development (RAPID) program for intelligent space data networks that leverages U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), allied, and commercial satellite communication networks.
Under the terms of the agreement -- which is intended, the company states, to enhance network resilience and ensure reliable connectivity by efficiently routing data across both space and terrestrial infrastructures -- Hughes is tasked with developing hybrid, layered satellite networks capable of delivering reliable and efficient communications. Hughes will address critical challenges that threaten the development of future space data networks, which will subsequently provide valuable options for current and future hybrid space programs as they evolve to meet emerging needs.
This work, say company officials, will build upon the company’s long-standing efforts to support critical network management initiatives, including the DoD CIO Office’s Enterprise SATCOM Management and Control. This intelligent enterprise management expertise will help transform DoD and commercial networks into a single, interoperable information enterprise by leveraging existing and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) and 5G and addressing zero-trust security. These moves include integrating AI and machine learning (ML) to enable the service to analyze network conditions in real time.
Patrick Markus, vice president and general manager of the Defense and Government Systems Division at Hughes, described the project as leveraging software-defined network orchestration tools that rapidly deploy advanced algorithms and AI to optimize data routing and bandwidth allocation dynamically and autonomously throughout multiple network domains, including the tactical edge. "The goal is delivering mission-critical capabilities for Department of Defense users in an agile and predictive manner -- anticipating and mitigating network disruptions before they impact communications.”
