Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Recently, I had the privilege of attending the Air Force Association’s (AFA) Air, Space, and Cyber Conference at beautiful National Harbor, MD. Parsons demonstrated many of our capabilities to senior leaders of the United States Air Force (USAF), and we had the opportunity to talk with customers about future program engagement. Our presence this year built on last year’s efforts to further introduce Parsons as a provider of unmatched defense solutions. 

Here are five strategic objectives highlighted at AFA that are vital to our national security:

1. Ensure combat readiness in air, space, and cyberspace.

It is critical to fully fund programs to ensure Department of the Air Force personnel are the world’s most ready, capable, and effective Air and Space Forces. They must have the instruction, training hours, tools and equipment, weapons, and fuel and other logistics support systems to meet all aspects of the National Defense Strategy (NDS).

2. Define and articulate requirements for the Department of the Air Force to execute the NDS.

To successfully execute the NDS, the force size, systems, and weapons required for air, space, and cyberspace must be clear. Joint warfighting requirements established by the Combatant Commands must also be unconstrained by budget restrictions.

3. Recapitalize and modernize the Air and Space Forces.

Today’s Air Force is the smallest and oldest it has ever been. Our nascent Space Force lacks the scale to ensure continuous operations in the face of growing threats. The nation must invest in these two branches of the Department of the Air Force to ensure their modernization and resilience when challenged. To do so, 30 years of underfunding relative to the Departments of the Army and Navy must end. We must ensure investment commensurate with the requirements for air and space superiority. 

4. Invest in and develop advanced technologies to ensure Air and Space resilience and superiority in the future.

The U.S. must invest in new weapons, systems, and capabilities to deter and, when necessary, defeat adversaries that threaten our national interests and allies. We must likewise continue to develop and field the most promising advanced technologies in pursuit of air and space superiority. This will ensure the technological advantage and overmatch necessary to deter war.

5. Invest in and support our people, our most valuable asset.

We must support airmen, guardians, and their families, recognizing their unique contributions to U.S. national security. Additionally, we must treat retirees and veterans with the dignity and respect their service and sacrifices deserve. We must also build the skilled and talented civilian workforce needed to support our warfighters in all their endeavors. This can be achieved through public and STEM education and core scientific research programs.

Advancing The Air Force Mission

At AFA, the team and I showcased the tremendous capabilities Parsons provides to USAF. We also shared innovations for future work to continue advancing the air force mission. Our booth highlighted the company’s work in combined joint all-domain command and control (JADC2). We presented our C2 tools developed for operators by operators to be used across multiple domains (C2Core®), a program that attracted tremendous interest. We also had great visibility showcasing biometrics, CUAS and CsUAS, and our cyber solution ENVE. Lastly, our Assured Positioning System (APS/APNT) positions navigation and timing information in environments where GPS is unavailable or unreliable.

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How Industry-Government Partnerships Transform NOAA’s POES Satellite Operations And Enhance Global Environmental Monitoring

This month, our team officially completed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Polar Operational Environmental Satellites (POES) Extended Life (EL) program. This groundbreaking collaboration marks the first-ever ‘commercial as a service’ operations for U.S. Government satellites and expanded NOAA’s ability to provide vital global weather data.

Leveraging Commercial Infrastructure For Enhanced Satellite Performance

The three POES satellites were transferred to our commercial ground system in November 2023 and operated for approximately $4.4 million per year, providing automated, lights-out satellite operations on a secure cloud environment, along with dedicated weekday staffing through subcontractor, Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC) Federal. Using our infrastructure and applications, and Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT) antennas, the team was able to deliver more data, faster, and at a significantly reduced sustainment cost when compared with the legacy ground architecture. 

NOAA’s government-led effort to efficiently extend the POES mission life was achieved, demonstrating the ‘as a Service’ satellite operations concept while adding two operational years of weather data collection. The 20-year-old NOAA-18 vehicle lasted until it experienced an onboard anomaly and was decommissioned on June 6, 2025. Two months later, on August 13, 2025, the 16-year-old NOAA-19 was officially decommissioned. The oldest of the three POES satellites, NOAA-15, was decommissioned on August 19, 2025, after 27 years of valuable service. The extended life approach for the satellites, which were designed to last only 5 years, yielded impressive scientific data and maximized government investment. 

Cloud-Native Solutions: GOCaaS And OrbitXchange

Our cyber-secure Ground Operations Center as a Service (GOCaaS) employs our commercial cloud-native Telemetry, Tracking and Commanding (TT&C), mission planning, and scheduling applications hosted on the Microsoft Azure Government Cloud, ensuring full lights-out automation for optimal efficiency. Additionally, this system connects seamlessly with our OrbitXchange (OX) antenna as-a-service, brokering autonomous satellite contacts through a diverse array of commercial antennas from Parsons and its partners, including KSAT, Viasat’s Real-Time Earth (RET) ground segment service, and Capricorn Space.

Both GOCaaS and OX are versatile solutions that can operate with any satellite as a common ground element. They deliver resilient and cost-effective operations through the proliferated global commercial antenna market with machine-to-machine automated scheduling and execution. POES was the first of four US Government programs to use GOCaaS and OX, with one other in operation and the third and fourth awaiting launch.

Setting the Standard For Future Federal ‘As-a-Service’ Contracts

This was truly a leading effort within the US Government, with the success also being due in large part to NOAA’s leadership, flexibility, and support to the combined Parsons, ASRC, KSAT, and Microsoft execution team. For the our team, working with NOAA on this project was, by far, one of our best customer experiences. NOAA truly embraced change, and they are now leaning forward with commercial-as-a-service operations to operate their other critical Earth and space weather missions while significantly reducing the cost for US taxpayers. The NOAA team, in one sense, was ahead of its time. Approaches like this directly meet the intent of the President’s Executive Order – Ensuring Commercial, Cost-Effective Solutions in Federal Contracts (April 16, 2025).

All spacecraft are capable of being operated by a ground system composed almost entirely of commercial products, or as a commercial service. As with most commercial product lines, our commercial applications are agnostic to the spacecraft, can support any mission, any manufacturer, in any orbit, using any network, and any government or commercial ground antennas, with new programs being onboarded without any software development.

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As spaceports evolve into sophisticated hubs for space exploration, the integration of emerging technologies such as digital twins, artificial intelligence (AI), and robust cybersecurity measures is becoming essential for operational success. These technologies help spaceports not only optimize their operations but also ensure safety, efficiency, and seamless coordination. They connect various transportation modes, including air, ground, water, and orbit. The synergy between digital twins, AI, and cybersecurity is paving the way for spaceports to operate in a smarter, more effective, and sustainable way.

The Power Of Digital Twins In Spaceport Development

Digital twins—virtual replicas of physical spaces or systems—are revolutionizing the way spaceports are designed, operated, and managed. By modeling spaceport infrastructure, operations, and surrounding systems, digital twins enable spaceport developers to simulate real-world scenarios. They also assess the impacts of different variables before they physically manifest.

For example, digital twins allow spaceport planners to model the entire transportation process, from the arrival of goods and personnel to the transport of rockets and spacecraft to launch pads. These simulations help identify bottlenecks, safety hazards, or areas where improvements can be made. This ensures operations are as smooth and efficient as possible. Furthermore, digital twins allow developers to run simulations of weather, traffic, and emergency scenarios, which are critical for preparing spaceports for every possible situation.

One of the key advantages of digital twins is their ability to support community adoption. Local residents, regulators, and stakeholders often have concerns about the impact of spaceports, from traffic disruptions to environmental effects. Digital twins can visually represent how spaceport operations will unfold. They address these concerns by providing a transparent, data-driven view of how the spaceport will operate in harmony with surrounding infrastructure and communities. Developers can also use these models to showcase how potential disruptions will be minimized, building trust and collaboration with local communities.

AI-Driven Optimization For Spaceports

Artificial intelligence (AI) plays a complementary role in optimizing spaceport operations. Once a digital twin is established, AI algorithms can analyze real-time data to predict traffic patterns. They also optimize launch scheduling and identify potential operational inefficiencies. AI-driven analytics help spaceport operators make smarter, data-backed decisions that enhance efficiency and minimize risks.

For example, AI can predict launch windows by assessing a variety of factors such as weather conditions, air traffic, and available transportation routes. AI can also help automate the scheduling of rockets, personnel, and cargo. This ensures that everything arrives at the spaceport on time and without any logistical delays. When combined with data from IoT sensors, AI allows spaceports to operate in real-time, adjusting operations based on the latest available information.

Additionally, AI can help manage complex transportation systems by predicting demand and optimizing multimodal transport. Whether it’s coordinating airport runway access for horizontal launches or managing the movement of goods via sea and road, AI ensures smooth operations. As spaceports become increasingly integrated with the surrounding infrastructure, AI can ensure that all systems work together smoothly, minimizing disruption and maximizing operational efficiency.

Enhancing Safety And Sustainability

AI-driven safety features can predict potential hazards before they happen. For example, AI can monitor for abnormal weather conditions or identify any operational risks that might compromise launch safety. It can then alert operators in real-time and recommend mitigation strategies. This proactive approach to safety helps ensure that spaceports can meet the rigorous standards required for safe space operations.

In terms of sustainability, digital twins can simulate the environmental impact of spaceport operations, including noise, emissions, and energy use. By accurately modeling these impacts, developers can identify ways to reduce their carbon footprint. They can also optimize energy use and improve waste management. This focus on sustainability will be crucial as these facilities expand to accommodate the growing demand for space exploration.

Securing Spaceports And The Critical Role Of Cybersecurity

Securing spaceports from cyber threats is critical to maintaining the safety, reliability, and seamless operation of these advanced hubs. Robust cybersecurity measures are vital for safeguarding sensitive infrastructure, operational data, and interconnected systems against potential breaches or attacks.

Preparing For Future Growth

As the space industry expands, spaceports must evolve to handle increasing traffic and complex operations. The integration of AI, digital twins, and advanced cybersecurity is not just a technological leap but a strategic foundation for the future of intelligent, scalable, and resilient spaceports. These technologies optimize performance, protect critical systems, and enable smarter infrastructure management. This drives both innovation and economic growth.

By embracing these advancements, spaceports can scale efficiently. They ensure safety and operational integrity while fostering sustainability in a globally interconnected space economy. Together, these efforts empower the next generation of space exploration, safeguarding operations and contributing to a more secure and prosperous future in space.

Learn More About Spaceports As Smart Hubs

If you’d like to hear from Parsons’ Vice President of Technology & Innovation, Guada Casuso, she will be speaking at the Global Spaceport Alliance webinar, Spaceports as Smart Hubs: Integrating Air, Ground, Water, and Orbit.

Register here to join the conversation.

The post Harnessing Digital Twins, AI, And Cyber For Smarter Spaceport Operations appeared first on Parsons Corporation.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Our latest episode of “Meet the Mission” features Daniel Oh and Scott Asack as they demystify TReX®, an innovative solution designed to solve complex challenges related to electronic warfare and Signals Intelligence (SIGINT). They explain TReX’s high-fidelity capabilities, how it’s used for mission planning and warfighter training, and its unique position in the market.

The conversation also delves into Parsons’ role in the industry, the importance of operational experience in developing such tools, and how TReX remains relevant and ahead of the curve in a rapidly evolving threat landscape, including its potential applications for the Space Force. They also share insights into career paths in this exciting field and what makes TReX a game-changer for national defense.

Listen In Now

Episode Overview

• 0:00 – 4:29: Welcome and Introductions (Meet the Mission Introduction, Speaker Intros)
• 4:30 – 7:39: Explaining TReX and Tech Influences (How to explain TReX to a 10-year-old, Dinner with a tech expert, introduction to electronic warfare)
• 7:40 – 16:09: Unforeseen Challenges and Go-To Gadgets (Unexpected live test/training incidents, Favorite gadgets)
• 16:10 – 21:38: Personal Journeys and Operational Philosophy (Daniel’s career path, TReX in mission sets, Scott’s “Train like you fight” experience)
• 21:39 – 27:59: Passion for EW & TReX Explained (Excitement for the industry including electronic warfare, High-level overview of TReX)
• 28:00 – 36:24: TReX’s Unique Fidelity and Realism (What sets TReX apart, Fidelity and realism TReX provides)
• 36:25 – 47:19: TReX in Action: Mission Planning and Training Impact (How a mission planner uses TReX in electronic warfare scenarios, User feedback, Enhancing warfighter training)
• 47:20 – 53:49: Customization and the Future of EW with TReX (Customizable training, Future of EW & SIGINT, New TReX capabilities)
• 53:50 – 1:01:09: Building the Team and TReX’s Future (Relevant skills and backgrounds for the industry, Excitement for TReX’s future)
• 1:01:10 – 1:02:00: Space Force Applications and Working at Parsons! (TReX for Space Force and its role in electronic warfare, Join our team!)

More About TReX®

TReX® is a signal emulator that uses software and readily available hardware to provide a realistic threat environment for testing and evaluating electronic warfare (EW) systems. It’s an easy-to-use tool that also enables effective training of warfighters with representative signals of interest, helping to experiment, train, and plan next-gen signals intelligence (SIGINT) and EW operations. Learn more about TReX.

Tune In and Join The Conversation

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to explore the future of technology in electronic warfare with us! Subscribe to “Meet The Mission” on YouTube or Spotify and stay tuned for new episodes released monthly.

The post From Battlefield To Tech Lab: How Parsons Supports Irregular Warfare With TReX® appeared first on Parsons Corporation.

For over half a century, NASA has been shattering the boundaries of human knowledge, venturing into the uncharted realms of air and space. Behind their innovation and discovery for the benefit of humanity lies a network of centers and facilities across the United States that serve as the launchpad for pioneering research, testing, and development in aeronautics and space technology. At Parsons, we’re propelling these groundbreaking capabilities forward through our architectural engineering (A-E) and construction management (CM) services that ensure NASA’s world-class infrastructure continues to fuel unprecedented breakthroughs.

Our decades-long history with NASA includes A-E services for the Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) Test Stand and the design of Space Shuttle Launch Facilities at Vandenberg Space Force Base Space Launch Complex 6. More recently, we’ve engaged in architecture, design, design-build (D-B), planning, and construction phase services projects for NASA at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex (GDSCC) at Fort Irwin, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), and Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). At these locations, we collaborated with NASA on a diverse range of projects, from minor office renovations to complex class 100 cleanroom designs and major power and utility distribution A-E projects.

Decades Of Dedication

Goddard Space Flight Center is NASA’S premiere space flight complex and home to the nation’s largest organization of scientists, engineers, and technologists who build spacecraft, instruments, and new technology to study our planet and beyond. We began providing A-E and CM services there in 1995, and in 2000, expanded our role to include construction and IT support through the award of the Facilities, Construction, Engineering, and Technical Services (FaCETS) Contract.

We were subsequently awarded the recompletes in 2011, 2017, and 2023, a testament to the trust we’ve built with the world’s leader in space exploration through leveraging our infrastructure, engineering, and technical expertise. Our commitment has been recognized with the Goddard Contractor Excellence Award in the Large Business Service category and with the Small Business Large Business Primer Contractor of the Year Award. We were also awarded the Mentor/Protégé Agreement of the Year.

Our Impact on NASA’s Infrastructure By The Numbers

• In the past decade, we have completed 237 design projects and provided construction phase services for 805 projects.
• Our D-B support includes 17 GSFC projects over the past six years, valued at more than $12 million.
• In the last 15 years at GSFC, we have completed 25 cleanrooms, 6 data centers, and 203 lab projects.
• Construction Phase Support for MSFC key programs.
• We saved NASA more than $4 million in ventilation costs in Building 7/10 Spacecraft Test and Integration Facility at GSFC through cleanroom value engineering services.

We provided A-E services for GSFC’s Spacecraft Systems Development and Integration Facility, which supported the world’s largest high bay cleanroom and the James Webb Space Telescope missions.

That’s our history with NASA, and today, we remain committed to advancing the agency’s mission through these active contracts:

• NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Bass Operating Contract
• Marshall Space Flight Center Construction Phase Services Contract
• NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory AE Services Contract
• NASA Armstrong AE Services Contract

Our Commitment Continues

NASA trusts us to deliver the infrastructure solutions the agency needs to continue breaking barriers to achieve the seemingly impossible. We’re proven, consistently ranking among the top Design, Construction Management, and Program Management firms in the nation, as reported by Engineering News-Record (ENR).

We have successfully delivered high-quality, cost-efficient design services for thousands of projects across all major construction areas, serving clients worldwide. Our resource pool boasts more than 18,000 employees, including over 1,300 architects and engineers with 2,500 active registrations, providing the capacity, depth, and subject matter expertise to meet infrastructure challenges today and tomorrow.

The post The Sky Is Not The Limit appeared first on Parsons Corporation.

Space and its services no longer only impact the warfighter. With assured position, navigation, and timing, and international data communications now reliant on space assets, threats to commercial, civil, and DoD spacecraft risk disruption to our daily lives. The existing congestion of space, combined with the increasing pace of spacecraft launch, has heightened the competitive nature of space and demand for Space Domain Awareness (SDA). Our ability to monitor, manage, and control space assets is foundational to maintaining U.S. space dominance. However, awareness without context and rapid response capabilities is useless.

The growing number of space, aerial, and ground assets generating data for SDA purposes is beyond the capability of human observers to consume. Currently, information is stored in huge databases for data trending analysis and historical reference. Training operators to see potentially aggressive actions and respond with defensive maneuver plans to avoid conflict is slow, limited in scope, and unsustainable. Leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) to correlate and propagate spacecraft maneuvers provides actionable data and drives automated responses.

The application of AI/ML in SDA allows for active and continuous monitoring of all space assets without requiring hordes of data analysts. AI/ML analyzes commercial and private data feeds for correlation with civil and DoD data to predict the probability of accuracy. This provides weighted accuracy scores for identifying hostile Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs) to be correlated with known foreign asset libraries. Given the “high enough” probability of a UAP and observed aggressive maneuvers, the AI/ML algorithm alerts operators of possible hostile action. In parallel, AI/ML produces defensive maneuver plans, schedules antenna time on the next available ground site, and engages DoD assets to perform space-based surveillance of the UAP.

Within minutes of the threat being detected, the U.S. Space Force monitors and tracks custody of the UAP and predicted threatened spacecraft. Operators maintain awareness of the situation through a virtual reality headset with a digital twin of U.S. space assets, projected orbit paths, and critical data synthesized into digestible statuses. The UAP markings, location, size, and radio frequency signature are cross-referenced with the Unified Data Library to identify it as a known hostile asset. All information, plans, and actions are compiled into a report for the next round of international negotiations and discussions.

Enabling the rapid response of the AI/ML algorithm is a Parsons classified cloud-based, scalable Ground Operations Center as a Service (GOCaaS) with humans in the loop for monitoring and approval purposes. GOCaaS uses a repeatable classified architecture to fly commercial, civil, and DoD space assets. Geographically distributed data centers host operational clusters for redundancy and load balancing purposes, while the digital twin and databases are stored in replicated file structures for quick access and recovery.

Our engineers leverage the Agile process to support a DevSecOps approach with a continuous integration/deployment pipeline. Parsons creates this reality through product and service development to preserve and protect our legacy in the stars. We’re leveraging domain knowledge to perform large system integration to develop solutions today for tomorrow’s threats.

The post Leveraging AI/ML To Protect The Space Domain appeared first on Parsons Corporation.

There’s a revolution happening in the space industry, and we have front row seats. There has been recent news published about how the Government doesn’t want to fund large, unique spacecraft anymore because they are “large, juicy targets.” That also means examining the corresponding ground support from a fresh perspective, acquiring ground capabilities cheaper, faster, and early enough in the process that ground isn’t an afterthought (or “stovepiped”) – without ground, you have a useless rock in the sky. 

There is plenty of room for innovation, and the tide is turning with respect to the trend of using more and more commercial offerings in the space domain. No longer should the Government spend hundreds of millions on ground segments to support spacecraft. With greater numbers of smallsats in space anticipated, ground becomes a bit more difficult due to the sheer volume of spacecraft, but don’t let ground providers fool you – this doesn’t have to come with a price tag. Business models like “as a service” offerings should be utilized to provide resiliency, cost savings, and cybersecurity, leveraging the commercial industry’s technological advancements and speed with which the Government has been unable to keep pace. At every conference, every senior engagement, every meeting, we (the defense industrial base) hear the words that “we need to move faster” and “we need more commercial capability and speed.” In the words of multiple senior leaders in the Space Force, “exploit what we have, buy what we can, and build what we must.”

Taking A Closer Look At The Ground Solution

There is zero need to fund entire armies of ground experts or even operators. None at all. There is also no need for the Government to have to worry about owning and maintaining infrastructure and equipment that becomes obsolete in a short period of time. “As a service” solutions offer the Government the flexibility and resiliency (and any desired level of cybersecurity) at a fraction of the cost by leveraging what already exists. For those that do it right, it can be offered for pennies on the dollar of traditional solutions.

Parsons acquired Braxton Science & Technology Group in 2020, a known disruptor in the satellite ground domain, with a full line of ready-to-go, minimal non-recurring engineering, Commercial Off the Shelf products that outfit any aspect of a satellite operations center – simulation, TT&C, command and control, factory compatibility testing, resource and scheduling optimization, mission planning, front end processors, spacecraft operators and more. We’ve also partnered with multiple commercial antenna providers to stand up OrbitXchange, which allows resilient global access to spacecraft and their data 24/7. We have an innovative commercial spacecraft operations center, which can be run on-prem or cloud-hosted, supporting multiple different missions, classification levels, and unique customer needs with a fully trained spacecraft operations staff. 

How Do We Know That We Can Do This?

We already are. We were sole-sourced the Blackjack Ground Operations contract for DARPA, which is expected to launch this year. We also competed for and won the NOAA POES Extended Life contract to take over spacecraft operations for NOAA’s POES-15, 18, and 19 spacecraft. Leveraging existing commercial capability allowed us to send first vehicle commands within ~5 months of being on contract! We are also on schedule to assume Spacecraft Control Authority (SCA) shortly, enabling NOAA to repurpose their finite resources for other responsibilities. Want more examples? Reach out! Have any spacecraft that either aren’t fully mission capable, or are at the end of their life and/or funding? Give us a call – we’d love to be able to work with you and provide that data without you having to worry about the “how” or “when.” 

Know what else is neat? We’re not only spacecraft ground gurus. We also specialize in digital engineering, space situational awareness, cyber operations, launch integration, alternate positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT), electronic warfare, and many other exciting markets. When you put all those pieces together, Parsons tells a pretty compelling story for delivering technical solutions and commercial capabilities for hard problems on which our customers have been beating their head against the wall for a while.

Surprised? Just wait and see what else we can do.

The post Working Smarter, Not Harder: Spacecraft Ground Control Made Easy appeared first on Parsons Corporation.

Transforming the battlespace begins with understanding the battlespace. We sat down with Mike Kushin, executive vice president of our high consequence missions sector, to discuss the importance of this distinction and why it sets our team apart in the industry.

He provides insight on the defense and intelligence business and the focus on delivering disruptive solutions with technologies that accelerate the warfighter’s decision chain to help ensure mission success.

Q: What sets Parsons apart in the defense and intelligence industry?

A: We are composed of teams that understand the depth and complexity of our customers’ needs, because many of us were once the customer. We have leaders who once conducted operations on the ground and understand the battlefield geometry where the customer is operating. This real-life experience helps us understand the requirements and the ‘ask.’ Our customers can give us a problem set without knowing the exact requirements but having historical insight into what they are asking allows us to remain lean, agile, and able to put the right people in the right places quickly and effectively. Ultimately, we understand the real mission needs of our customers. We don’t let business objectives get in the way of mission objectives.

Q: How did your time supporting special operations prepare you for working in the federal landscape?

A: In many ways, the problems our customers are facing today are the problems we were forecasting on the horizon yesterday. Now, we can leverage commercial capabilities and are not hamstrung by government restrictions or limitations. When a war fighter comes to us with a need, we are past the testing and evaluation stage and can provide practical technology, tactics, techniques, and procedures to actively solve problems.

Q: How is Parsons supporting the U.S. Special Forces?

A: Our support to special forces colors the spectrum with everything from OSINT and classified development to technical operations and cyber. We provide technology, training, subject matter experts, and advisors — touching the pulse in every discipline. Parsons is leaning forward in a critical industry that is advancing and changing every day. We are increasingly integrated — providing continuity for the government and holistic, scalable solutions to complex problems. We operate in every facet of the multidomain battlespace and address emerging threats by fusing technologies across the now-connected war fighting domains (land, air, maritime, space, and cyber).

The post Defending Against The Threats Of Today — And Tomorrow appeared first on Parsons Corporation.

As we go about our busy days enjoying instant communication and robust national security, space is constantly in motion above us.

The sky is full of satellites orbiting the earth that enable a comfortable and protected modern lifestyle, connection to family and friends around the world, and confidence as we navigate our world – whether through our phones, laptops, or cars – safely.

The process is automatic to us, with minimal effort spent thinking about the magic of the space domain.

Invested in giving missions operationally efficient access to space, Parsons provides multi-manifest launch integration capabilities that expand access to space and maximize the orbit delivery potential of each launch. 

With commercial-off-the-shelf products and custom-build interface carriers, we deliver the full range of hardware and system integration services to integrate your small satellite payload onto a launch system.

These capabilities enable the addition of numerous small satellites onto current space launches to Low Earth and Geosynchronous Orbits, delivering cost-effective launch solutions for U.S. Government spacecraft while helping to scale the Space Force multi-manifest launch paradigm.

As part of our $100 million Launch Manifest Systems Integrator (LMSI) contract with the US Space Force (USSF) Launch Enterprise, we are a proud mission partner in delivering the Landsat-9 evolved secondary payload adapter (ESPA) flight system (L9EFS), enabled by a  USSF innovative cooperative agreement with NASA to enhance access to space for small satellites. The L9EFS is designed to be capable of delivering up to 18 multi-mission small satellites to orbit as part of the NASA Landsat-9 launch mission.

Developed by Parsons and NASA with elements being integrated at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility under the  USSF Mission Manifest Office contract, the L9EFS recently made a cross-country trek to Vandenberg Space Force Base where it  launched on the Landsat-9 mission. Parsons and the USSF successfully integrated and finalized the L9EFS and it was installed and encapsulated for the launch.

L9EFS was just one of a number of launches that Parsons is contracted to deliver or conduct early integration activities for under the LMSI program. 

Congratulations to the Parsons, USSF, and NASA team for the successful Landsat 9 launch on 27 September. Job well done!

Upcoming Missions

ACE Mission: Jun 2023

BLAZE Mission Oct 2023

TALON mission: Aug 2024

The post Unlocking Space appeared first on Parsons Corporation.

Historically, space ground control operations evoke images of a bustling, fully manned room filled to the brim with expensive hardware. Every command would require the full attention of operators and an entire fleet of IT professionals to ensure each piece of hardware continued to run optimally. While these images will likely always be the way Hollywood perceives ground operations, the landscape of satellite ground control is on the threshold of a revolution.

The Space Foundation issued a 2020 Space Report detailing the rapid growth of the space domain, with spacecraft deployments tripling from 2019 to 2020 and a 477 percent increase of communications satellite deployments within the same period. Modernization of legacy spacecraft ground control and mission data processing infrastructure is mandatory to adequately increase capacity for the control and data processing produced by new space systems.

The rapidly expanding commercial space market has overtaxed existing government and commercial ground assets, resulting in financial, time, and availability constraints within all areas of mission control. The implementation of cloud applications is one of the latest technical trends in the industry to alleviate these common operational issues.

We strive to modernize mission solutions and offer hybrid cloud environments, allowing the customer to distribute and scale their mission across on-premise hardware and cloud deployments to balance their budget and mission capabilities. Cloud environments enable immediate scalability for rapidly growing programs and industries, allowing flexibility and operational agility while ensuring continued support for rapidly multiplying needs.

Integrating existing Satellite Operations Center (SOC) capabilities into cloud environments provides comprehensive benefits to all commercial and government satellite customers. With large upfront capital and future recapitalization hardware investments nearly eliminated, cloud-based ground control solutions adequately fit inside notoriously limited SmallSat budgets. Cost savings also include the implementation and maintenance costs typically associated with hardware and software purchases. These savings result in predictable budgeting since it is billed as a service, taking the stress out of hardware ownership—there is no need to worry about additional funds that may be needed due to unexpected hardware failures. Cloud environments level the playing field for start-up space ventures by removing the large capital barrier previously required for on-premise solutions, allowing them to focus on disruptive cloud applications to enter the market, remaining lean and agile.

The ability to access antenna time through a service allows customers to pay by the minute versus the burden of financing and maintaining their own antennas. Legacy stove-piped systems required programs to build entire infrastructures for each mission, but customers can now leverage ground control providers who take advantage of standardized architectures that are enabled by cloud applications.

Automation is a critical aspect of successful cloud environments for ground control. With the help of software, such as our Intelligent Resource Optimizer, fully automated event-based scheduling operations, human-machine collaboration, mission planning, what-if analysis, and continuous deconfliction capabilities are enabled. Automation increases system resiliency and capacity, supporting lights-out 24/7 operations that may not have been financially feasible before cloud capabilities were introduced. In a world of COVID-19 precautions, the flexibility offered by automated cloud applications has allowed critical space missions to continue largely uninterrupted by a global pandemic that has otherwise debilitated countless industries internationally.

Perhaps the most valuable aspects of cloud-based applications are the resiliency and redundancy they offer over traditional structures. Legacy operations require a minimum of two sets of hardware to serve as on-line backups in an instance of failure. In a cloud environment, redundancy is built-in and allows operators to simply bring up another instance if a component were to fail. This ensures continuous availability of systems and prevents the need for multiple sets of expensive hardware components. Redundancy benefits also include automatic data backups for mission-critical information, the revenue-generating function of most space systems, allowing a level of safety and security for an order of magnitude less cost than legacy resources.

Test and validation are often overlooked in the SmallSat world due to limited budgets but are becoming commonplace as cloud capabilities offer simulated environments that provide unlimited resources for test and validation. Our mission solutions leverage cloud applications to provide multiple solutions for test and validation. These solutions range from a Factory Compatibility Tester that tests and validates the RF interface to spacecraft before launch to a common simulation environment that simulates the ground control system, antennas, and spacecraft, allowing test, checkout, and rehearsal of all mission applications, procedures, and staff operations prior to launch. Our cloud environments for testing and validation provide ecosystems to prototype and validate technology while allowing operators and engineers to experiment with new technologies in a realistic environment without risking operational assets.

To maintain pace with the explosive growth of the global space industry, it is often necessary to transition existing systems toward cloud architectures and take advantage of cloud-hosted applications that increase capacities while reducing costs and enhancing efficiencies. The benefits of using cloud applications are exponential, improving competitive edge and redundancy while nearly eliminating significant financial, availability, and time constraints. We fully support the new age of space ground technology and have additional cloud-hosted applications being created throughout the year to support diverse customer and mission needs.

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