The Air Force Research Laboratory awarded BlueHalo a $24.4 million contract to help the lab’s Satellite Assessment Center, which models and analyzes vulnerabilities of space systems.
BlueHaloBlueHalo, a defense contractor in Arlington, Virginia, specializes in space, directed energy, and autonomous systems technologies. The five-year contract was given by AFRL’s Directed Energy Directorate.
The Satellite Assessment Center at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, assesses the vulnerabilities of space vehicles to lasers and laser radiation.
The center tests the effects of lasers on spacecraft components and materials and uses the data to create computer models for analysis and research.
The Satellite Assessment Center also creates tools that simulate sensor networks for tracking objects in space.
Directed-energy modeling
According to the April 19 contract announcement, BlueHalo will be tasked with “accelerating the advancement of directed energy modeling, simulation, analysis, assessment expertise, and technical capabilities to protect U.S. space interests.”
The contract also involves work on predictive analysis, satellite modeling, resiliency research, and innovative testing environments to “assess natural and man-made directed energy effects on space systems.”
