Parsons Corporation (NYSE:PSN) has secured a $30 million contract expansion and a strategic novation to the U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA), marking a major transition for the Department of Defense’s "Blackjack" satellite program.
The deal, announced Monday, effectively transfers the operational leadership of the program from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to the SDA, while nearly tripling the value of Parsons' original 2021 involvement.
The contract positions the Chantilly, Virginia-based technology provider as the primary integrator for the Blackjack flight demonstration, a mission designed to prove the military utility of proliferated Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations.
Under the new terms, Parsons will consolidate support for Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) spacecraft and manage the entirety of Blackjack’s mission operations from its specialized Parsons Space Operations Center.
A central component of the expanded scope is the deployment of Parsons’ proprietary OrbitXChange platform.
This commercial solution, combined with the company’s "Ground Operations Center as-a-Service," provides an automated, cybersecure bridge between government satellite constellations and a global network of commercial ground stations.
By utilizing this "as-a-service" model, the SDA can avoid the heavy capital expenditure typically required to build and maintain dedicated government-owned ground infrastructure.
Beyond basic command and control, the $30 million award tasks Parsons with advanced experimentation and operational planning services.
The company will manage mission planning and ensure seamless connectivity for global coverage, allowing the Blackjack satellites to operate as a cohesive high-speed network.
This transition to the SDA is viewed by industry analysts as a critical step in operationalizing DARPA’s experimental technology, moving from a proof-of-concept phase to an integrated component of the United States’ national security space architecture.