Two NASA-funded commercial satellite demonstrations reached low Earth orbit aboard a SpaceX rideshare, the agency reported on Oct. 20, 2026, with the partners Viasat and SES Space and Defense preparing tests over the following weeks. NASA uses high-rate links for large data volumes such as science findings and 4K imagery, and low-rate signals to track spacecraft and send basic commands.

Viasat is to test high- and low-rate relay services using Maxwell, a demonstration spacecraft built by Rocket Lab, and to use autonomous technology to route data among Maxwell, its geosynchronous satellites and ground stations. SES Space and Defense is to test similar relay services, drawing on its O3b mPOWER fleet in medium Earth orbit for high-rate data and geosynchronous satellites for low-rate data between the demonstration spacecraft and Earth stations.

In 2022, NASA's Space Communications and Navigation division awarded $278.5 million through its Communications Services Project. The work supports gradually retiring the agency's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite fleet and moving future low Earth orbit missions to commercial alternatives. The project, managed by NASA's Glenn Research Center, will continue testing relay capabilities through 2027.