CACI is moving into the next phase of a Space Force program aimed at improving communications for missions beyond low-Earth orbit. The U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command selected the company for Phase 3 of the Enterprise Space Terminal program, where CACI will build a proto-flight optical communications terminal. The selection follows a passed critical design review in November 2025 and successful interoperability testing at MIT Lincoln Laboratory in January 2026, where the hardware demonstrated bi-directional operation with a standard reference modem and met performance metrics for pointing, acquisition, and tracking test cases.
Under Phase 3, CACI will utilize its optical communications terminal technologies to build the proto-flight hardware and undergo further performance evaluations at Lincoln Labs before delivering the terminal to the Space Force. The company is leveraging expanded capabilities from its recent acquisition of ARKA to support the next generation of space communications. The project expands the contractor's broader aerospace portfolio, which includes deploying more than 50 optical communications terminals in low-Earth orbit and transmitting data from deep space optical communications systems.
Chief Executive Officer John Mengucci stated that the company is "driving the next generation of space communications and sensing" by investing ahead of defined requirements. Beyond the military terminal program, the company recently enabled high-definition video and data transmissions for the Artemis II moon mission.