Rivada wins US Navy contract
December 4, 2024
By Chris Forrester
Rivada Space Networks has secured a contract from the US Navy. The contract’s value has not been indicated, and the new business comes despite Rivada not having any satellite capacity in orbit as yet. The contract will tap into Rivada’s plans for a highly secure, laser-linked constellation of satellites.
The Navy contract requires Rivada to develop and deliver Virtual Network Operator capabilities over Rivada’s Outernet constellation. Under the first phase of its contract with the US Navy, Rivada will engage in joint engineering cooperation with the Navy to delineate a Virtual Network architecture specifically designed to meet the Navy’s needs on the Rivada Outernet.
“The Rivada Outernet’s proliferated LEO architecture is resilient by design and built for exactly this type of use-case,” said Declan Ganley, CEO of Rivada Networks. “We are delighted that the US Navy sees the value of what we are building and look forward to delivering an operational concept that meets its needs. Our Outernet is rapidly becoming the infrastructure of choice for secure data communications.”
Commander Nick Goddard, Director of Operations of US Navy Cyber Command, added: “Rivada is building a uniquely capable LEO constellation focused on zero trust networking. The combination of security, symmetrical uplink and downlink speeds and global coverage are unique, and we are excited to collaborate with Rivada on how the Navy can best take advantage of Rivada’s gateway-less architecture for innovation today and in the future. As the adversary evolves, we must continue to out-innovate, manoeuvre, and drive outcomes to support our global Navy Operational Ecosystem.”
Rivada is also launching its Rivada Secure Services division.
“The formation of Rivada Secure Services demonstrates our commitment to providing the highest level of secure, resilient communications to our government customers,” said Ganley. “As a proxy organisation, Rivada Secure Services will ensure we can fully support the unique mission requirements of US defence and civilian agencies while maintaining the necessary security protocols.”
The new subsidiary will be led by Michael Abad-Santos, who brings experience in government and defence space systems. Rivada Secure Services will be headquartered in the Washington DC area to maintain close coordination with government customers and our reseller network.
Pacome Revillon, CEO of strategic space consulting company Novaspace, commented: “Global geopolitical dynamics continue to highlight concerns about national security and the state of civil and defence infrastructure particularly in the area of cybersecurity and resilient information systems. The space domain now plays a critical role in securing network infrastructure and addressing rising data sovereignty and security demands.”