SD Government wins $3bn satcom contract with US administration

SD Government (SDG), Gogo’s to-government satellite communications division, has received a federal contract worth $3bn from a US government agency.

The five-year deal will see SDG deliver multi-band, multi-orbit airborne global satellite communications to the undisclosed government agency. It follows on from a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase III contract undertaken by SDG prior to SD’s merger with Logo.

Hayden Olson (pictured above), head of SDG, said: “We are proud that the US government has chosen SDG to deliver this mission-critical connectivity. The customer agency will benefit from our extensive expertise, support and cybersecurity expertise, along with our agnostic ability to provide the best-performing connections and terminals across multiple orbits on its diverse fleet of aircraft.”

Awarded as a sole-source contract, the agreement will see the agency consolidate all aero communications across its fleet to this single contract over the next five years. 

This is the first SDG government contract to optimise the company’s integrated multi-orbit, multi-band, multi-network capabilities. The deal also includes provision for the government to add new technology and services as they become available over the life of the contract.

“We are providing a simple, seamless solution for the agency to procure resilient airborne communications,” said Olson. “The streamlined access to all types of connectivity will enable seamless procurement and support, which is extremely valuable to a busy government agency.”

As the contract’s full scope is realised, it will employ Gogo’s air-to-ground networks, low-Earth orbit (LEO), medium-Earth orbit (MEO), high-Earth orbit (HEO) and geostationary orbit (GEO) constellations for Ku- and Ka-band connectivity as required.

Last week, SDG’s parent Gogo partnered with Vista to bring its new Gogo Galileo broadband connectivity system to its global fleet.

The rollout will begin in November across Vista’s European fleet, followed by the US and Asia from January 2026. This will see one aircraft upgraded with the Gogo Galileo terminal every nine days, reaching at least 60 aircraft within the first 18 months.