A successful public-private partnership creates a galaxy of possibilities for the future. With the release of the Goddard Space Flight Center’s 2023 Year in Review, Peraton was once again named its largest contractor, reaffirming the company’s longstanding commitment to advancing national and civil space.
Over decades, the Peraton team has played a pivotal role in furthering humanity’s understanding of the universe. As a mission capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider, Peraton provides full-service support throughout NASA’s complete mission lifecycle – from payload development and high-altitude balloons to suborbital missions and deep space communications.
The team is honored to continue driving some of NASA’s most important missions of consequence. We invite you to take a look at key programs we advanced under one of the nation’s premier spaceflight centers.
NASA Balloon Operations Contract (NBOC)
How did the universe begin? How are stars formed? What is dark matter and dark energy? Answers to humanity’s biggest questions start with research conducted by large scientific balloons. Peraton employees have supported more than 90 balloon launches through planning, flight management, field operations, engineering services, quality control, and research and development since 2015.
Sep 2023: NASA Sounding Rockets (NSROC)
What’s a cost-effective strategy to test conditions for human space flight? Sounding rockets. NSROC is an enabler for NASA’s sounding rocket manufacturing, assembly, tests, and operations. Peraton has supported over 500 successful launches as the primary contractor since 1999. The sounding rockets program focuses on three areas: heliophysics, astrophysics, and technology development for government purposes. Peraton teams have performed this work around the world from Virginia to Alaska and Norway to Australia.
Jan 2023: Wallops Facility
The Wallops Flight Facility is NASA’s premier site for sub-orbital and small orbital flight projects, Earth science research, and technology development. Peraton received the Contractor Excellence Award in 2023 at the annual Wallops’ Peer Awards ceremony for going above and beyond to enable full mission success at the new remote range in Australia.
Oct 2020: OSIRIS-REx
There’s an asteroid circling the Earth, but don’t worry, we’re tracking it. Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft collected well over 60 grams of rock and dust samples from an asteroid known as Bennu. Bennu is nearly as old as the solar system, and its elemental composition could help answer questions about the origins of our galaxy and how life was formed. Peraton’s mission management and precision tracking of NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN) in California provided Level 1 support, including the critical uplink activity, tracking, and 24/7 communications to ensure a seamless transition of data between mission control back at Earth and OSIRIS-Rex.
Environmental Test and Integration Services (ETIS)
ETIS falls under Goddard’s Engineering and Technology Directorate’s Mechanical Systems division in Greenbelt, Maryland. Peraton’s ETIS team provides comprehensive aerospace, manufacturing, and operations capabilities. The environmental test and integration facilities are among the most complete and comprehensive space hardware test complexes within the U.S. government.
Near-Space Network (NSN)
As an operator of NASA’s Near Space (NSN) and Deep Space networks (DSN) Peraton serves an indispensable role as NASA’s long-distance carrier, responsible for making sure that data is delivered flawlessly. The NSN provides space communications and tracking services to missions operating in near-space—anything extending to two million kilometers (approximately 1.25 million miles) from Earth; DSN includes anything beyond this range. Peraton operated the NSN for Artemis I from the launch pad and has since passed the communications responsibilities on to the DSN team for the remaining flight to the moon and return to Earth. Peraton’s history supporting DSN dates back to 2004.
“As 2024 unfolds, we will continue to excel in the final frontier by providing NASA and the Goddard Space Flight Center with the best experts and innovative solutions necessary to uncover humankind’s greatest discoveries,” said Roger Mason, Ph.D., president, Space & Intelligence sector, Peraton. “We look forward to celebrating these accomplishments in spaceflight, engineering, science, management, and education with the rest of the space community at the 67th Annual Dr. Robert H. Goddard Memorial Dinner.”