Two NASA-funded communications demonstrations reached low Earth orbit on October 20, 2026, aboard SpaceX’s Bandwagon-5 rideshare. NASA confirmed the launch and said partners Viasat and SES Space and Defense would prepare for tests in the following weeks.
Two approaches to keeping spacecraft connected
Viasat’s demonstration uses Maxwell, a spacecraft built by Rocket Lab. NASA says the experiment will route information between Maxwell, Viasat’s geosynchronous satellites and ground stations, using autonomous technology to manage the path. It will test both high-rate data transfer and lower-rate communications needed to support spacecraft operations.
SES identified its payload as flying on Planet’s Pelican-12 satellite in a separate October 20 announcement. The company reported liftoff at 7:04 a.m. Eastern from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Its relay approach combines geosynchronous satellites with the O3b mPOWER constellation in medium Earth orbit, supporting different data-rate requirements through those two orbital layers.
More than a fast download
A spacecraft needs several kinds of connection. High-rate links can carry large science files or detailed imagery; lower-rate channels support tracking and commands. NASA’s launch report describes the demonstrations as tests of that broader communications job. A fast transfer alone would not establish that a service can satisfy every operational need.
The new flights build on earlier work. In a December 2025 progress report, updated in February 2026, NASA described SES flight tests with Planet that relayed data between low Earth orbit and higher-orbit communications satellites. That report also described Viasat’s successful monitoring of New Glenn launch telemetry in November 2025, using its existing satellite network.
Those earlier tests are useful context for the latest launch: the effort is developing several services and operational situations, rather than waiting for a single all-or-nothing demonstration. The December report described launch tracking, spacecraft command and control, and high-volume science delivery as different capabilities under evaluation.
Preparing for life after the government relay fleet
NASA has explained that its transition toward commercial relays is intended to support future near-Earth missions as its Tracking and Data Relay Satellite fleet is gradually retired. The Communications Services Project initially provided $278.5 million to six industry partners in 2022. The agency’s objective is to buy services in a broader market, rather than remain the sole operator of the communications infrastructure.
The distinction between launch and service readiness remains important. Sending demonstration hardware to orbit allows testing under real operating conditions; it does not, by itself, establish coverage, availability or reliability for a future customer mission. For these two flights, the next meaningful evidence will be measured end-to-end performance: commands reaching the spacecraft and mission information arriving where it is needed on Earth.
NASA illustration of satellite relay communications around Earth. This conceptual image does not show the Bandwagon-5 launch or its specific payloads. Credit: NASA/Morgan Johnson.
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