Serco to support USAF Satellite Control Network in UK
Sercos Defence business has been awarded a £25 million contract by CACI to continue to provide operations and maintenance support to the US Air Force Satellite Control Network (AFSCN) at the Telemetry and Command Station (TCS) at Oakhanger, Hampshire, UK for a further four years until 2024.
Courtesy Serco
Serco has been providing the operations, maintenance and site services at Oakhanger since 2003 as part of the UK Skynet 5 programme, since when customer satisfaction, reliability and safety have all been significantly improved. As part of Serco’s wider Space capability, there are c.75 highly skilled Serco engineers and technicians employed on the contract to support the US Space Force.
Paul McCarter, Serco’s Managing Director, Defence, said: “We are delighted to have been chosen to continue to provide these vital services for the US Space Force. This is an important contract win for Serco and strengthens our capabilities in the Space market in the UK, which we see as an area of growth. We will build on the success and experience of the past seventeen years to continue to deliver and improve the services we provide in the coming years.”
CACI is the Prime Contractor for the Consolidated Air Force Satellite Control Network Modifications, Maintenance and Operations (CAMMO) contract providing worldwide operations and maintenance for the AFSCN.
The Oakhanger site is owned by the MoD and is the busiest ground station in the AFSCN supporting over 38,000 contacts during 2019 with an operational performance of 99.99%.
The AFSCN, operated by the US Space Force's Space Operation Command, provides support for the operation, control, and maintenance of a variety of United States Department of Defense and some non-DoD satellites. This involves continual execution of Telemetry, Tracking, and Commanding operations. In addition, the AFSCN provides prelaunch checkout and simulation, launch support, and early orbit support while satellites are in initial or transfer orbits and require manoeuvring to their final orbit. The AFSCN provides tracking data to help maintain the catalogue of space objects and distributes various data such as satellite ephemeris, almanacs, and other information.