How the US Space Force is Leveraging Commercial Antennas for Defense Applications

December 1, 2025

An antenna radome being installed at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. The radome enhances the range’s capacity and resilience by protecting critical tracking and communication systems from harsh environmental conditions. (Image: U.S. Space Force)

The U.S. Space Force (USSF) Space Systems Command (SSC) achieved a major milestone during a demonstration event in August, showcasing the Joint Antenna Marketplace (JAM) and successfully transferring the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory’s (NRL) Transmit/Receive Enterprise (TREx) Service from a research and development project into an SSC operational prototype.

During the demonstration, the team demonstrated the use of commercial antennas for real-time contacts between a Space Development Agency’s (SDA) satellite operations center and their Tranche 0 satellites using JAM which leveraged the newly integrated TREx system.

The transition marks a significant step in SSC’s ongoing efforts to accelerate the delivery of advanced, data-driven antenna services to USSF operators and mission partners. Originally developed by NRL’s Naval Center for Space Technology, TREx connects satellite operations centers to commercial and government-owned antennas. With an established Authority to Operate and a record of supporting initial operations, TREx was rapidly integrated into SSC’s antenna services architecture, allowing immediate operational benefits without lengthy redevelopment.

“This is exactly the type of lab-to-operations success we strive for,” said USSF Col. Patrick Little, SYD 85 Space Access & Networked Services System Program Director. “The TREx system brings enhanced flexibility and efficiency to our antenna services, directly supporting our mission to deliver integrated, resilient capabilities to the field.”

JAM is a secure, cloud-based marketplace that connects satellite operations centers with commercial and government antennas worldwide. By aggregating and dynamically scheduling available apertures, JAM expands capacity beyond the traditional USSF Satellite Control Network (SCN), alleviating congestion and reducing scheduling conflicts. The program enhances resiliency, scalability, and speed to operations - key requirements in an era of proliferated satellite constellations.

Developed through ongoing competitive prototyping with industry partners Boecore (Auria) and Sphinx Defense, JAM is part of SSC’s strategy to integrate commercial solutions into a hybrid space architecture. It enables rapid onboarding of new missions, strengthens joint and coalition interoperability, and supports the USSF’s Commercial Space Strategy.

The TREx integration positions JAM to support the SDA Tranche 1 capabilities while already enabling real-time contacts with SDA’s Tranche 0 satellites. Tranche 0 — known as the “warfighter immersion” tranche — demonstrates low-latency data transport, beyond-line-of-sight targeting, and advanced missile warning/tracking from low Earth orbit. By connecting SDA’s space operations centers through JAM to commercial antennas, SSC is helping ensure operators can leverage commercial systems for scalable, resilient communications and data delivery to the warfighter. This early operational capability allows SDA to meet immediate needs while future prototypes mature, reflecting SSC’s commitment to fielding mission-ready solutions at speed.

With the TREx system now operated under the USSF Battle Management, Command, Control, Communication, and Space Intelligence (BMC3I) Program Executive Office, the prototype has met its success criteria, making it eligible for follow-on production under SSC’s rapid acquisition strategy. This transition exemplifies how early coordination between research labs, operations, and program offices can accelerate delivery of mission-critical capabilities to the national security space enterprise.

This article was written by the Space Systems Command (El Segundo, CA). For more information, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..