Summary
This is a Request for Information (RFI) issued by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Space Vehicles Directorate (FA9453 AFRL RVK) at Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, to obtain access to bandwidth carried by a commercially owned, commercially operated UHF-capable on-orbit Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellite for a near-term experimental campaign. The objectives are to characterize spectrum, waveform, and user equipment operation within a MEO UHF system; to demonstrate interoperability between a potential future MEO UHF system and the existing Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) constellation; and to inform a time-sequenced pathway for augmenting or replacing the GEO UHF system with MEO capability. The government prioritizes solutions leveraging existing space vehicles, payloads, and communications links for immediate or near-term service, with innovation toward earlier on-orbit capability strongly desired.