The Space Force, in “partnership” with the Pentagon’s Golden Dome office, has tapped Viasat to build a Missions Operation Center (MOC) to integrate multiple satellite constellations and manage data traffic through the nascent Space Data Network (SDN) Backbone, the service announced. The company has been awarded an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract with a ceiling of $450 million to “design, field, and scale” the center, Space Systems Command said in a Thursday press release. “In this role, Viasat, Inc. will serve as the network and mission system integration partner as SSC expands its open-architecture ecosystem across multiple space-segment providers.” The MOC will serve as the central network orchestration hub for the SDN Backbone, a constellation of low Earth orbit satellites being built by SpaceX to provide high-speed, low-latency communications. The backbone constellation is designed as the glue connecting the Space Data Network’s broader architecture of disparate military, and eventually commercial, space-based sensor and communications satellites with decision-makers and weapons platforms. The network’s near-term focus will be on supporting the Trump administration’s Golden Dome missile defense initiative. ... According to the release, the MOC will provide the SDN Backbone with: Multi-Vendor Orchestration: Integrates disparate satellite systems into a unified communications network. Multi-Domain Joint Connectivity: Supports high-speed, low-latency, and cyber-resilient data paths for users across air, land, sea, and space. Real-Time Priority Routing: Enables dynamic data management and routing based on mission priorities through network operations infrastructure. https://breakingdefense.com/2026/11/dod-taps-viasat-to-field-operations-center-for-golden-dome-satellite-data-relay-network/