Space Development Agency

Summary

The Space Development Agency (SDA) is a United States Space Force direct-reporting unit tasked with deploying disruptive space technology.[1] A primary focus is space-based missile defense using large global satellite constellations made up of industry-procured low-cost satellites.[2][3][4] The SDA has been managed by the United States Space Force since October 2022.[5] By February 2024 the SDA had 33 satellites on orbit.[6] SDA targets to have at least 1,000 satellites in low Earth orbit by 2026.[7]

Space Development Agency
US Space Development Agency logo.jpg
Space Development Agency
Agency overview
FormedMarch 12, 2019; 5 years ago (2019-03-12)
TypeDirect reporting unit
HeadquartersThe Pentagon, Arlington County, Virginia, U.S.
38°52′16″N 77°03′22″W / 38.871°N 77.056°W / 38.871; -77.056
Motto
  • Semper Citius
  • (Latin: "Always Faster")
Agency executives
Parent departmentUnited States Department of the Air Force
Parent agencyUnited States Space Force
Websitewww.sda.mil

History edit

The agency was established by Mike Griffin in 2019 with his appointment to Under Secretary of Defense (R&E) by President Donald Trump.[8] Griffin had long advocated for low Earth orbit constellations to eliminate U.S. vulnerability to ballistic missiles with his work on space-based interceptors for the Strategic Defense Initiative and Brilliant Pebbles in the 1980s. However these programs dissolved in the 1990s due to excess cost and political disagreement.[9] Later, the United States and other countries developed hypersonic weapons, which Griffin argued were thermally dimmer and could only be reliably tracked by low-flying satellites with infrared sensors, creating a need to resurrect such programs.[10][2] In addition to hypersonic weapons, the memorandum establishing the SDA also calls for a new space architecture "not bound by legacy methods or culture" that provides unifying command and control through a cross-domain artificial intelligence-enabled network.[11]

The Space Development Agency proposed the National Defense Space Architecture,[12][13][14] later renamed the Proliferated Warfighting Space Architecture.[a] It advances a network of global orbiters composed of layers with different military capabilities such as communications, surveillance, global navigation, battle management, deterrence, and missile defense. The satellite constellation is to be interconnected by free-space optical laser terminals[15] in a secure command and control optical mesh network.[16] Satellites are to be low cost and "proliferated" in low Earth orbit. New commercial technology such as reusable launch systems have reduced deployment costs[17] and new mass-produced commercial satellites offer less "juicy" targets for anti-satellite weapons by being inexpensive and potentially hard to distinguish from other commercial satellites.[2] Development is to follow the spiral model,[b][c] incorporating learning from previous iterations and launching new satellite replacements regularly as the useful lifetime of each is relatively short. The SDA expects to field and maintain a constellation of at least 1,000 satellites on orbit by 2026.[7]

The SDA has mostly avoided flaws that plagued earlier proliferated missile defense programs such as Brilliant Pebbles. The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty was a major impediment in the past, as these systems were deemed non-compliant with the treaty by Congress.[9] However, George W. Bush withdrew the United States from the treaty in 2002, eliminating this barrier.[18] Over the years, launch and manufacturing costs have been greatly reduced. Decades after the SDIO’s DC-X failed there are now commercial reusable launch vehicles such as SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket.[19] Meanwhile mass manufacturing as with Starlink has proven the potential for lower satellite build costs.[17]

Political and administrative opposition to SDA came from 24th Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson who argued that "launching hundreds of cheap satellites into theater as a substitute for the complex architectures where we provide key capabilities to the warfighter will result in failure on America's worst day if relied upon alone."[7] Members of Congress also gave concerns that SDA would drain resources and jobs from Air Force and questioned why DoD had to create a separate organization to circumvent its own procurement process. Despite the pushback, the Pentagon did not require congressional authorization to create the SDA, and Wilson was overruled by Patrick M. Shanahan, who became acting defense secretary by appointment of Donald Trump. He placed the new agency under the authority and control of Mike Griffin who was also appointed as Under Secretary of Defense (R&E).[8]

Despite these early success, SDA still faces critical challenges. The Union of Concerned Scientists warned SDA could escalate tensions with Russia and China and called the project "fundamentally destabilizing".[20] Both China and Russia brought concerns to the United Nations about the U.S. plans for militarization of space.[21] The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace has advocated for better use of arms control and international agreements such as a treaty halting related development by all parties to prevent an arms race in space.[22]

Critics have reiterated longstanding concerns that ground-based lasers can easily "paint" satellites in low Earth orbit, temporarily blinding their sensors. The APS reporting the energy needed for this is very low.[23] Likewise, RF jamming is simpler when communication and radar satellites are in lower altitudes as less power is needed to saturate their low-noise amplifiers. It is also far easier to launch an anti-satellite weapon to destroy satellites in low Earth orbit (as demonstrated with small ASM-135 or RIM-161 missiles) given much less energy is required to kinetically intersect than to enter and maintain orbit. An adversary would simply need to "punch a hole" in the constellation immediately before launching an attack.[24][20][25] When the Biden administration took ownership of the program in 2021, they appeared to take heed of these concerns[26] but still signed on to a $500M increase for the agency in the FY2023 spending bill.[27]

The Heritage Foundation, a neoconservative think tank, called the Space Development Agency a model for the military. In their 2025 Mandate for Leadership, they call to develop new offensive space capabilities to "impose [American] will if necessary". They further claim the Biden administration "has eliminated almost all offensive deterrence capabilities" in space that were planned under the Trump administration.[28]

In 2020, 13th Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Will Roper expressed interest in the SpaceX Starlink satellite internet constellation as a platform for the SDA.[29][30]

SDA awarded its first contracts in August 2020. Lockheed Martin received $188 million and York Space Systems received $94 million to each build 10 data relay satellites for its transport layer. In October 2020, SDA chose SpaceX and L3Harris Technologies to develop four satellites each to detect and track ballistic and hypersonic missiles.[31] The initial tranche of satellites were originally scheduled to launch September 2022.[16] However, the initial launch slipped due to supply-chain issues for microelectronics such as radios,[32] software problems, and protests by Raytheon and Airbus over procurement and evaluation process.[33] SDA industry partners now include SpaceX, L3Harris Technologies, Northrop Grumman, Ball Aerospace and General Dynamics.[7]

A number of experimental satellites were launched in 2021. SDA plans to test some of the key technologies in a series of on-orbit experiments that went up on Transporter-2: Mandrake 2, the Laser Interconnect and Networking Communications System (LINCS), and the Prototype On-orbit Experimental Testbed (POET).[34]

SDA's current schedule expects Tranche 0 capability[c][d] will be on orbit in time to support a summer 2023 demonstration.[33][35][36][37] Link 16 connectivity between Five Eyes nations, via Low Earth Orbit Tranche 0 satellites was demonstrated from 21 November to 27 November 2023.[38][39] By year-end 2025 there will be 126 Link-16 satellites in orbit for intercommunication, using Tranche 1 Tracking capabilities.[40] Tranche 2 Tracking capability will start in 2026.[40]

Tranche 1 satellites were solicited for bid in 2021,[41] launch in September 2024,[42] with monthly launches thereafter.[43][44] More than 150 satellites: 126 in Tranche 1 Transport Layer; 35 in Tranche 1 Tracking Layer; 12 in Tranche 1 Demonstration and Experimentation System.[43] In 2022 contracts were awarded to York Space Systems, Lockheed Martin Space, and Northrop Grumman Space Systems.[45]

Tranche 2 satellites were solicited for bid in 2023,[46] for launch in 2026.[46] More than 550 satellites: 250 in the Transport Layer; 50 in the Tracking Layer; Transport Layer will have 100 Alpha satellites, 72 Beta satellites, and 44 Gamma satellites;[43] The Beta satellites RFP were released in the 2nd week of April.[43] The Alpha RFP was released in June 2023 and Gamma is scheduled for early 2024.[43] The Alpha satellites are similar to those in the Tranche 1 Transport Layer; the Beta satellites will have UHF and tactical communications payloads; the Gamma satellites will carry advanced waveform payloads.[43][47] York Space Systems will build 62 satellites for the Tranche 2 Transport Layer.[48] In 2023 contracts for 72 satellites were awarded to Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin (for 36 Beta satellites apiece).[49][50][51][52] In 2024 a third vendor, Rocket Lab LLC, was selected to supply 18 space vehicles, an additional part of the Beta Tranche 2 Tracking Layer (T2TL) tranche, for a total of 90 space vehicles in the Beta T2TL tranche.[53]

On 16 January 2024, the SDA announced an award to three vendors worth up to $2.5 billion. These vendors will supply "preliminary fire control" satellites in the Tranche 2 Tracking Layer. They will carry infrared (IR) cameras, with a mix of fields of view (FOVs).[54][55] The FOVs in the IR cameras will be either wide FOV (WFOV), or medium FOV (MFOV) for low-resolution, or higher-resolution tracking capability respectively.[54] If such a satellite were to prove performant, and launched early, and no later than April 2027, a vendor could receive an incentive payment.[54] Each vendor is to provide 18 satellites, of which 16 are to carry WFOV cameras; the remaining two are to be MFOV cameras.[d][55][54] The Proliferated Warfighting Space Architecture (PWSA) will rely on these preliminary fire control satellites to perform the JADC2 concept.[54] Tranche 2 Tracking capability will start after the 2026 launches.[40]

Projects and research edit

 
Transport layer[56] of the National Defense Space Architecture (NDSA)[57][a][58]
 
The Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration (SAF/SQ) visits SDA upon its accession to USSF.[59][60]
 
Rapid Reaction Launch Proliferated Ground C2[60] for the NDSA (National defense space architecture)[a][58] of the Space Development Agency

SDA satellites are the first to have direct-to-weapon control according to SDA's technical director, Frank Turner.[61]

Among the SDA projects:

  • "Optical communications between satellites, and from satellites to a military drone aircraft".[62][63][64][14] Including the CubeSat based Laser Interconnect and Networking Communication System (LINCS).
  • Provide a resilient, persistent response to ballistic missile detection[65][66][67][68][69]
  • Build the JADC2[70] satellite backbone[71][72] using the National Defense Space Architecture (NDSA):[a][13][73][e] JADC2 confers on the US the capability to "move data globally at scale".[35] —Gen. Chance Saltzman, US Space Force
    • The satellite constellations are in near-polar low Earth orbit.[77] Hundreds of satellites are expected by the end of the 2020s.[14] "Would you be able to take out some of these satellites? Probably. Would you be able to take out all of these satellites? Probably not, before you are going to have a really bad day."—Derek Tournear [78]: min -2:10 before the end of the video clip [79][69]
    • NExT (National Defense Space Architecture (NDSA)[a] Experimental Testbed)[c] is a test bed of 10 space vehicles and associated mission-enabling ground systems, for realizing its various aspects, in miniature, before its larger, later scheduled deployments. In particular, the capability to retain and/or relay messages for command and control (C2) can then be demonstrated on the NExT test bed, before deployment at scale.[80][81]
    • Using the satellites of Tranche 0, the SDA will be demonstrating the new capabilities[c] of the PWSA[a] to the warfighters, to aid in concept development (using the "warfighter immersion tranche").[82][58][42]
    • Rapid response launch proliferated C2;[83][58][41] SDA remains the rapid launch proliferated arm for the Space Force.[60][a][67][41][85][86][57]
      1. User equipment (Earth stations and weapon systems)[78][87] SDA has selected the "ground Operations and Integration (O&I) segment for Tranche 1".[88]
      2. Transport layer intersatellite data[77] Tranche 1 Transport Layer (T1TL):[56] T1TL forms a mesh network in a constellation of small satellites in Low earth orbit (LEO). Each satellite would have 4 optical links.[41] SDA may have awarded 3 contracts totalling $1.8 billion to 3 firms, each for 42 satellites to be launched by September 2024.[56][85] However, there was a funding constraint in the FY2022 budget.[89][90][91]
      3. Tracking layer handles launched items,[92] connects to existing user equipment[13][89][87][93][94] Two contractors will each build 14 satellites for the Tranche 1 Tracking Layer as of 16 July 2022; these satellites will be in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) by 2025; hundreds of satellites are planned for the Tracking layer.[95] The Tracking Layer is capable of tracking hypersonic missiles throughout their flight, by their heat signatures.[95][96][57][97]
      4. Custody layer[98] handles items not yet launched from objects as big as a truck,[99] connects to existing user equipment[13]
      5. Battle management ("autonomy, tipping and queuing and data fusion")[13][a][100][101][f][d][58][105][106][107][108][109]
      6. Navigation layer is not finalized, provides navigation & launch data[13]
      7. Deterrence layer is situational awareness of cislunar space vehicles[13]

Launches edit

 
Earth's satellites in: Low Earth orbit— LEO (blue); Medium Earth orbit— MEO (green); Cislunar distances (red): If one were to hold a blue marble out at arm's length, one would see Earth's size and shape from the perspective of the astronauts travelling to the Moon.

SDA's initial launch of 10 satellites (denoted Tranche 0)[c] had been scheduled for December 2022; however tests of 8 of these satellites indicated that each had a noisy power supply. The contractor, York Space Systems retrofitted filters on the 8 satellites at no cost to the government; the initial launch was delayed to March 2023, including the 8 retrofitted by York Space Systems.[110][35]

On 2 April 2023 the first 10 satellites of Tranche 0 were launched into low earth orbit, as planned. These satellites will demonstrate the responsive (low latency) communication links of the Transport layer of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA). An initial checkout of the satellite bus and mission[c] payloads is the current priority.[110] The second Tranche 0 launch, carrying 13 more satellites, took place on 2 September 2023.[112] Of the 18 initially scheduled payloads one Transport satellite built by York has been excluded to conduct software tests, while the four Tracking satellites built by L3Harris had been kept on the ground by production delays and were launched later as rideshare payloads of a USSF-124 mission in February 2024.[113]

Tranche 0 satellites
Manufacturer Nickname Built Launched On the ground Decayed
Tranche 0A
(02 Apr 2023)
Tranche 0B
(02 Sep 2023)
USSF-124
(15 Feb 2024)
Transport layer
York Space Systems Checkmate A-Class: 6
B-Class: 4
A-Class: 5
B-Class: 3
A-Class: 0
B-Class: 1
A-Class: 0
B-Class: 0
A-Class: 1
B-Class: 0
Lockheed Martin Wildfire A-Class: 7
B-Class: 3
A-Class: 0
B-Class: 0
A-Class: 7
B-Class: 3
A-Class: 0
B-Class: 0
A-Class: 0
B-Class: 0
Tracking layer
SpaceX BB 4 2 2 0 0
L3Harris 4 0 0 4 0

Management edit

SDA began as a direct reporting unit (DRU) of DoD's USD(R&E): research and engineering.[b] By design,[116] the functions for acquisition and sustainment (A&S) are the responsibility of another under secretary of defense —the USD(A&S); this separation of function decouples the technology development of a working prototype system, even the systems as complicated as those taken on by the SDA, from overcomplication induced by the processes of the DoD.[G][h]

The SDA has relied heavily on "Section 804" Mid-Tier Acquisitions (MTAs) to avoid traditional defense procurement requirements. SDA has been able to forgo a number of reporting activities by breaking up larger programs into numerous two-year rapid fielding projects that each qualify as MTAs. Members of Congress and the Government Accountability Office have said this obfuscates costs and limits transparency. The FY23 omnibus appropriations act, signed by President Joe Biden on 29 December 2022, levies new reporting and certification requirements on the Pentagon regarding the use of MTAs and other rapid prototype programs. Industry participants such as MITRE Acquisition Chief Pete Modigliani have said the new requirements would "drastically impede DoD’s rapid acquisition abilities" for SDA and other programs.[236]

No. Director Term
Portrait Name Took office Left office Duration
-
 
Kennedy, Fred G. IIIFred Kennedy[263]
Acting
March 12, 2019June 2019~3 months and 3 days
-
 
Tournear, Derek M.Derek M. Tournear[264]
Acting
June 2019October 28, 2019~4 months and 13 days
1
 
Tournear, Derek M.Derek M. Tournear[264]October 28, 2019[265]Incumbent4 years, 4 months, and 20 days

See also edit

Notes and references edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h The name change of the constellation from NDSA to PWSA —'proliferated warfighter space architecture'— will have no impact to the SDA mission.[84]
  2. ^ a b "The OUSD(R&E) will develop critical technologies, rapidly prototype them, and conduct continuous campaigns of joint experimentation to improve on those technologies and deliver capabilities", —Hon. Heidi Shyu, head of the office of the undersecretary of defense for research and engineering (OUSD(R&E)).[114][115]
  3. ^ a b c d e f Tranche 0 will demonstrate the feasibility of
    • Low latency data connectivity
    • Beyond line of sight targeting
    • Missile warning/missile tracking
    • On-orbit fusion
    • Multi-phenomenology ground-based sensor fusion [36][58][86][111]
  4. ^ a b c Space development agency (SDA) provides the PWSA wide field of view (WFOV) sensors; Missile defense agency (MDA) provides the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS) sensors, (i.e., the Medium Field of View (MFOV) sensors). The WFOV sensors provide cueing data to the MFOV sensors, which are more sensitive and provide tipping data to the earth-based interceptors.[103] as cited in USNI News.[104] Two WFOV satellites were launched as part of the inititial Tranche 0.[35]
  5. ^ In September 2021 the Space Development Agency approved design plans for its new missile warning satellites, which will be capable of detecting and tracking hypersonic weapons.[74][57]
    • L3Harris Technologies announced that the Space Development Agency has approved the company’s proposed design for a missile tracking satellite.[75] A production contract for 16 Tranche 1 Tracking satellites to track hypersonic missiles, for launch in 2025, was approved.[76]
    • SpaceX will build 4 satellites for the Tranche 0 tracking layer.[35]
  6. ^ In Remote Sensing, Tipping and Queuing (Cueing) is a technique for tracking and monitoring fast-moving objects, using multiple sensors of multiple modalities (for example electro-optical and radar sensors). One sensor with a wide field of view might detect, acquire, and even track an object of interest (the 'target'); that sensor would 'tip' another sensor with the tracking information for that target. The next sensor, say with point defense capability, might then take the 'cue' to narrow the tracking box around the target, to build more accurate tracking information, to tip yet another defense system, and so forth. See Automatic identification system (AIS)[102]
  7. ^ SDA Tranche 0 planning for 2022[58][35][46][37][43][64]
  8. ^ Proliferated Low earth orbit satellite-based services, awarded under indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts. Services for Space Systems Command include high-speed broadband, synthetic aperture radar imaging, space domain awareness; and alternative positioning, navigation and timing.[262]
  1. ^ SDA.mil About Us Archived 2022-12-10 at the Wayback Machine
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  4. ^ a b c Brian Everstine (22 Sep 2022) Why Space Force Wants Out Of GEO, Long Development Cycles Archived 15 September 2023 at the Wayback Machine noMoreGeoSats. For the Space Force, last of the geosynchronous satellites. Gone by 2040
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    • Theresa Hitchens (5 Sep 2023) SDA launches 13 more Tranche 0 data relay, missile tracking sats for 'warfighter immersion' Archived 5 September 2023 at the Wayback Machine
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  30. ^ Same Skove (13 Sep 2023) Navies face 'dreadnought' moment as Ukraine destroys more Russian warships, British admiral says Archived 14 September 2023 at the Wayback Machine ' "We're once again facing something completely new, a paradigm shift", the First Sea Lord said'. Starlink satellites can be jammed.
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  35. ^ a b c d e f Theresa Hitchens (29 Mar 2023) Space Development Agency readies launch of first satellites for comms, missile tracking Archived 29 March 2023 at the Wayback Machine
  36. ^ a b US Department of Defense (2 Apr 2023) Space Development Agency Successfully Launches Tranche 0 Satellites Archived 3 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine
  37. ^ a b Courtney Albon (28 Apr 2023) How three space agencies are collaborating on next-gen missile warning Archived 29 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine
  38. ^ Courtney Albon (28 Nov 2023) Space Development Agency demonstrates Link 16 satellite connectivity Archived 23 February 2024 at the Wayback Machine
  39. ^ Theresa Hitchens (28 Nov 2923) SDA demos first-ever space-to-ground Link 16 connection Archived 1 December 2023 at the Wayback Machine
  40. ^ a b c Theresa Hitchens (18 Mar 2024) SDA’s data relay, missile tracking networks to be operational by end of 2025: Tournear
  41. ^ a b c d e Theresa Hitchens (27 Aug 2021) SDA Opens Contest For First Operational Constellation Archived 29 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine 30 Aug 2021 RFP for Tranche 1 Transport Layer (T1TL) Jan 2022
  42. ^ a b Audrey Decker (4 Apr 2023) Satellite Ground Stations Are Vulnerable, US Warns Archived 6 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine
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  44. ^ a b Courtney Albon (10 Apr 2023) US Space Force to simplify timelines, purchases as launches surge Archived 23 February 2024 at the Wayback Machine National Security Space Launch (NSSL Phase 3) FY25 to FY34
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  46. ^ a b c Theresa Hitchens (6 Apr 2023) Space Development Agency readies first solicitation for 'global' data constellation Archived 6 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine T2TL: 212 Transport Layer satellites for launch beginning in 2026
  47. ^ Patrick Tucker (21 Aug 2023) Lockheed, Northrop share $1.5 billion contract for new transport satellites Archived 21 August 2023 at the Wayback Machine Seventy-two satellites, which will begin launching in 2026, will be "the space backbone for the Joint All Domain Command and Control"; apparently the Beta Tranche 2 satellites.
  48. ^ Courtney Albon (20 Oct 2023) Space Development Agency orders 62 satellites from York Space Systems Archived 21 October 2023 at the Wayback Machine Launch in 2026 for Tranche 2 Transport Layer
  49. ^ Erwin, Sandra (2023-08-21). "Space Development Agency awards contracts to Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman for 72 satellites". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 2024-02-23. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
  50. ^ Michael Sheetz (30 Oct 2023) Pentagon awards $1.3 billion in contracts to Northrop Grumman and York for 100 satellites Archived 31 October 2023 at the Wayback Machine Previous reporting was for 36 Northrop satellites rather than the 38 reported now; 62 satellites are confirmed for York.
  51. ^ Carlo Munoz, Janes.com (1 Nov 2023) Pentagon awards USD1.3 billion for PWSA prototype development Archived 2 November 2023 at the Wayback Machine
  52. ^ Theresa Hitchens (6 Sep 2023) SDA steps toward global hypersonic missile tracking, plus new targeting capability Archived 7 September 2023 at the Wayback Machine at least 54 space vehicles with IR sensors for Tranche 2 Tracking Layer of the SDA's Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA).
  53. ^ SDA (8 Jan 2024) Space Development Agency Makes Third Award to Build 18 Additional Beta Variant Satellites for Tranche 2 Transport Layer Archived 9 January 2024 at the Wayback Machine Rocket Lab LLC to make 18 space vehicles in beta tranche T2TL, part of a total of 90 space vehicles to be launched in the beta T2TL tranche by July 2027.
  54. ^ a b c d e Theresa Hitchens (16 Jan 2024) SDA's latest Tracking Layer contract includes 6 'fire control' sats Archived 17 January 2024 at the Wayback Machine ... 'the "preliminary fire control" satellites in Tracking Layer Tranche 2 will carry a mix of wide-field-of-view and medium-field-of-view infrared cameras'
  55. ^ a b Sandra Erwin (16 Jan 2024) Space Development Agency awards contracts worth $2.5 billion for missile-tracking satellites Archived 23 February 2024 at the Wayback Machine 18 satellites apiece: L3Harris, Lockheed Martin and Sierra Space
  56. ^ a b c d Greg Hadley (28 Feb 2022) SDA Awards $1.8 Billion in Contracts for 126 Satellites Archived 1 March 2022 at the Wayback Machine for 2024 T1TL
  57. ^ a b c d e Armament Facts (21 Jul 2022) How The New Hypersonic Weapons Tracking Constellation Will Work Archived 25 October 2022 at the Wayback Machine 16:45 minutes. 2 awards, each of 14 satellites due to launch in 2025.
  58. ^ a b c d e f g h Theresa Hitchens (21 Jan 2020) SDA To Demo Tracking & Targeting Satellites In 2022 Archived 2 March 2022 at the Wayback Machine Tranche0 Link-16. Summary of 7-layer architecture.
  59. ^ a b SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE (30 Sep 2022) HEADQUARTERS AIR FORCE MISSION DIRECTIVE 1-17 Archived 7 October 2022 at the Wayback Machine Special Management ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE (SPACE ACQUISITION AND INTEGRATION) (SAF/SQ) 20 pages
  60. ^ a b c d Theresa Hitchens (22 Sep 2022) Space Development Agency chief clears up 'confusion' about where his agency is going Archived 23 September 2022 at the Wayback Machine "SDA Director Derek Tournear said his shop will remain its own when it formally joins the Space Force in coming weeks, giving the service another acquisition outlet." SDA and Space RCO remain direct reporting units to Frank Calvelli; SSC remains a major command of the Space Force.
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  62. ^ a b Theresa Hitchens (21 Jun 2021) SDA Demos Spotlight Tech Hurdles To JADC2 Backbone Archived 25 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine 5 payloads: Optical link, Sat to drone
  63. ^ a b Strout, Nathan (February 11, 2021). "SDA to launch several demonstration satellites in 2021". C4ISRNet. Archived from the original on June 3, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
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  66. ^ a b c Sara Mineiro; (Mezher, Chyrine) (June 14, 2021). "Pentagon: Diversify Your Orbital Regimes".
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  68. ^ a b c Theresa Hitchens (21 Sep 2022) Space Force phasing out missile warning from GEO, will focus on lower orbits Archived 22 September 2022 at the Wayback Machine ' "We'll do away with the GEOs, and the big, exquisite expensive satellites," said SDA Director Derek Tournear.'
  69. ^ Colin Clark (4 Jun 2021) SecDef OKs JADC2 Strategy: Now OSD Has ‘Teeth’ Archived 6 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine Approved 13 May 2021
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  71. ^ a b Theresa Hitchens "JROC Tags Space Force To Make Satellites Link With JADC2". June 3, 2021.
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  75. ^ Sandra Erwin (20 Dec 2023) L3Harris gets green light to produce 16 space-based hypersonic missile trackers
  76. ^ a b SDA.mil Transport layer Archived 2021-06-06 at the Wayback Machine
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    • as reported by Courtney Albon (16 Jun 2022) Space Development Agency plans for 'enduring' satellite experimentation testbed
  80. ^ Theresa Hitchens (20 Jan 2023) SDA hopes SABRE sensors can slash missile testing costs by 'millions' Archived 20 January 2023 at the Wayback Machine "SDA already has a lot of interest from the Army and DoD's testing community in its Space-Based Telemetry Monitoring, Electronic Support, and Alternative Navigation (SABRE) project"
  81. ^ Courtney Albon (4 Apr 2023) Space Development Agency enters demonstration phase after first launch Archived 5 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine
  82. ^ C Todd Lopez (2 May 2021) On-Time Delivery Top Priority at Space Development Agency Archived 6 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine
  83. ^ SDA (23 Jan 2023) SDA Layered Network of Military Satellites Now Known as "Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture" Archived 24 January 2023 at the Wayback Machine (PWSA— formerly known as NDSA)
  84. ^ a b c Theresa Hitchens (28 Oct 2021) SDA Scraps, Relaunches Data Transport Satellite Bidding After Protest Archived 28 October 2021 at the Wayback Machine Tranche 1: T1TL of Aug 2021 was rescinded: "126 satellites [each] with Ka-band space-to-ground communications link, four optical communications terminals, a Link 16 payload (which is the current standard for machine-to-machine communications link among US and allied weapon systems), and a battle management, command, control and communications (BMC3) compute and storage module"; T1TL RFP was reissued 28 Oct 2021. T1TL terms were replaced with OTA authority instead. Proposals were due 24 Nov 2021.
  85. ^ a b Chris Gordon (3 Apr 2023) Speed, Cost, Performance—In That Order—Key to SDA's Successful Tranche 0 Launch, Director Says Archived 5 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine First use of Link 16 in space
  86. ^ a b c Andrew Eversden (28 Jun 2022) Army moves ahead with Palantir and Raytheon for next phase of TITAN Archived 28 June 2022 at the Wayback Machine
  87. ^ a b Theresa Hitchens (27 May 2022) Space Development Agency taps GD-Iridium team for complex ground system Archived 31 May 2022 at the Wayback Machine
  88. ^ a b Theresa Hitchens (1 Mar 2022) Budget roadblock delaying Pentagon satellite program to track hypersonic missiles Archived 2 March 2022 at the Wayback Machine $750 million in question in FY2022 budget. An alternative, Tranche 1 Demonstration and Experimentation System (T1DES) can be let for 18 satellites.
  89. ^ Theresa Hitchens (6 Oct 2022) York scores SDA contract worth up to $200M for experimental communications satellites Archived 7 October 2022 at the Wayback Machine T1DES capabilities test (of UHF/S-band frequencies) using 12 satellites; provides data for a March 2023 decision on Tranche2
  90. ^ a b Theresa Hitchens (18 Feb 2022) SDA awards $1.8B in contracts for first operational data transport sats Archived 2 March 2022 at the Wayback Machine Tranche 1 Transport layer (T1TL) award
  91. ^ SDA.mil Tracking layer Archived 2021-06-06 at the Wayback Machine
  92. ^ Courtney Albon (2 Mar 2023) Raytheon to make seven missile-tracking satellites for US space agency Tranche 1 Tracking Layer
  93. ^ Courtney Albon (15 Mar 2022) Space Development Agency to launch next missile warning satellites earlier than expected Archived 2 March 2023 at the Wayback Machine
  94. ^ a b Theresa Hitchens (18 July 2022) L3Harris, Northrop score $1.3B in SDA hypersonic missile tracking contracts Archived 19 July 2022 at the Wayback Machine
  95. ^ a b David Vergun. DoD News (11 May 2022) DOD Focused on Hypersonic Missile Defense Development, Admiral Says Archived 23 September 2022 at the Wayback Machine Jon A. Hill: Planned May 2023 launch MDA/ SDA launch of interoperable hypersonic tracking satellites to track dim targets (cruise missiles)
  96. ^ a b Center for Strategic & International Studies (7 Feb 2022) Complex Air Defense: Countering the Hypersonic Missile Threat Archived 23 September 2022 at the Wayback Machine Dr. Tom Karako, Director of the CSIS Missile Defense Project; Ms. Kelley Sayler, CRS; Dr. Gillian Bussey, Director of the Joint Hypersonics Transition Office; Dr. Mark Lewis, Executive Director of NDIA's Emerging Technologies Institute; Mr. Stan Stafira, Chief Architect at the Missile Defense Agency (MDA)
  97. ^ a b Theresa Hitchens (7 Apr 2022) Space Force’s $1B for hypersonic missile tracking in FY23 will go to new satellites, ground systems Archived 7 April 2022 at the Wayback Machine Track Custody Prototype (TCP), and MEO satellite constellations with ground stations
  98. ^ SDA.mil Custody layer Archived 2021-06-06 at the Wayback Machine
  99. ^ a b Theresa Hitchens (10 Nov 2022) Space Development Agency asks for satellite 'battle management system' proposals Archived 11 November 2022 at the Wayback Machine "The on-board Battle Management, Command, Control and Communications (BMC3) software module will be tested on SDA's Tranche 1 Transport Layer data relay satellites"
  100. ^ Theresa Hitchens (15 Dec 2021) NGA Gears Up For All Domain Ops Archived 5 October 2021 at the Wayback Machine references tipping and queuing of the data sensors and sources of the NGA's intelligence community
  101. ^ Muhammad Irfan Ali (20 Jan 2021) Tip And Cue technique for efficient near-real-time satellite monitoring of moving objects Archived 3 July 2022 at the Wayback Machine
  102. ^ Kelley M. Sayler (24 Jan 2023) Hypersonic Missile Defense: Issues for Congress Archived 23 May 2022 at the Wayback Machine IF11623
  103. ^ USNI News (27 Jan 2023) Report to Congress on Hypersonic Missile Defense Archived 28 January 2023 at the Wayback Machine
  104. ^ a b Theresa Hitchens (6 Apr 2023) SPACECOM ops head 'tired of the excuses' about satellite tracking gaps Archived 10 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine a BMC3 problem; currently solvable in the Space Surveillance Network (SSN).
  105. ^ a b Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs (19 Sep 2022) Air Force taps Brig. Gen. Luke Cropsey to head new integrated C3 battle management program Archived 23 March 2023 at the Wayback Machine Command, Control, Communications and Battle Management (C3BM). USAF general Cropsey will have the authorities required to ensure integration of all C3BM related programs throughout the DAF, as a core contribution to the Department of Defense's broader Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) effort. [Integrating] PEO will also have responsibility for the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS).
  106. ^ a b Michael Marrow (11 Jul 2023) 'Network-centric' security 'killing us' on JADC2 initiatives: USAF general Archived 17 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine Cropsey on C3BM
  107. ^ a b Theresa Hitchens (14 Jul 2023) There goes my missile: SDA eyes new FOO Fighter missile defense 'fire control' sats Archived 17 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine " 'Fire-Control On Orbit-Support-To-The-War Fighter (FOO Fighter or F2)' program" SDA 'plans to purchase and deploy' eight F2 space vehicles carrying electro-optical/infrared sensors
  108. ^ a b Sandra Erwin (18 Dec 2023) Space Force’s first six missile-defense satellites in medium orbit to cost about $500 million counter ICBMs, hypersonic missile from MEO
  109. ^ a b Courtney Albon (2 Apr 2023) SpaceX rocket launches Space Development Agency’s first satellites
  110. ^ a b Theresa Hitchens (11 May 2023) Congressional concern re-emerges on fate of MDA’s hypersonic missile tracking sensors Archived 12 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine
  111. ^ Lentz, Danny (2 September 2023). "SpaceX launches of Space Development Agency's Tranche 0 mission". NASASpaceFlight. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  112. ^ Erwin, Sandra (26 May 2023). "Space Development Agency to launch 13 satellites in late June". Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  113. ^ Justin Katz (2 Feb 2022) Pentagon developing 'National Defense Science and Technology' strategy: Memo Archived 28 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine by Hon. Heidi Shyu
  114. ^ Jaspreet Gill (25 Jul 2023) Pentagon's R&E office stands up 3 new assistant secretaries, 8 new DASDs Archived 26 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine
  115. ^ USD(R&E) (20 Nov 2020) DOD INSTRUCTION 5000.88: ENGINEERING OF DEFENSE SYSTEMS Archived 9 July 2021 at the Wayback Machine
  116. ^ Valerie Insinna (11 Apr 2022) After hearing Silicon Valley complaints, Hicks says no 'magical' fix to acquisition Archived 12 April 2022 at the Wayback Machine Hicks software modernization strategy
  117. ^ Arnold Punaro "Book Excerpt: Pruning The Acquisition Kudzu". July 29, 2021.
  118. ^ Jaspreet Gill (21 Jul 2023) Now at a 'tipping point', Defense Innovation Unit looks to next 'phase': Scaling tech Archived 22 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine DIU to attempt to "scale... and do it quickly"
  119. ^ Courtney Albon (8 Dec 2022) How the Space Development Agency 'could have died any number of ways' Apr 2019
  120. ^ Aaron Mehta and Valerie Insinna (13 Mar 2019) In memo, Air Force secretary slams Space Development Agency as not ready for prime time Archived 23 February 2024 at the Wayback Machine
  121. ^ Theresa Hitchens (7 Dec 2022) 'Compromise' NDAA boosts Space Force budget, but keeps tight reins on policy decisions Archived 14 December 2022 at the Wayback Machine Senate wants explicit waiver from OSD exempting SDA from JCIDS
  122. ^ Greg Hadley (8 Dec 2022) Compromise NDAA; Here’s What’s in It for the Space Force Archived 10 December 2022 at the Wayback Machine The Office of the Secretary of Defense to review "whether the Space Development Agency should be exempt from the Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System in order to speed overall fielding of proliferated space system".
  123. ^ Ryan Duffy (12 Dec 2022) Lawmakers Release FY23 Compromise NDAA Bill Archived 14 December 2022 at the Wayback Machine Space Force funding summary
  124. ^ Courtney Albon (28 Nov 2022) Millennium, Raytheon complete design review for missile warning system Archived 23 February 2024 at the Wayback Machine Missile Track Custody, in MEO
  125. ^ Courtney Albon (13 Jan 2023) Lawmakers chart 'middle course' on space-based missile warning funding Archived 23 February 2024 at the Wayback Machine Bridging strategies for Missile warning, tracking, custody. GEO/MEO/LEO.
  126. ^ Theresa Hitchens (27 Jul 2022) Rocket science: How Space Force acquisition works, with many players and dual hats Archived 28 July 2022 at the Wayback Machine Space Force's Space Systems Command (SSC) org chart. Lt. Gen. Michael Guetlein, is head of SSC
  127. ^ DoD News (14 Dec 2020) What's With All the U.S. Space-Related Agencies? Archived 30 November 2022 at the Wayback Machine Manpower levels from all contributors
  128. ^ Tobias Naegele (27 Nov 2022) Q&A: The New Chief of Space Operations on Empowering the Force Archived 29 November 2022 at the Wayback Machine Gen. B. Chance "Salty" Saltzman builds out the Force by empowering its people
  129. ^ DoD (8 Dec 2022) Seven Nations Meet to Address Space Security Archived 19 December 2022 at the Wayback Machine CSpO Principals Board: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States met in NZ. Included: Dr. John Plumb, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy; U.S. Space Force Gen. Chance Saltzman, Chief of Space Operations; U.S. Army GEN James H. Dickinson, Commander, United States Space Command; and Mr. Damon Wells, National Reconnaissance Office
  130. ^ Theresa Hitchens (28 Dec 2022) At home and internationally, ‘governance’ is the space watchword: 2023 Preview Archived 4 January 2023 at the Wayback Machine Space governance
  131. ^ Devin Coldewey (9 Jan 2023) FCC moves to form Space Bureau as its role in regulating orbit intensifies Archived 9 January 2023 at the Wayback Machine
  132. ^ Theresa Hitchens (23 Dec 2022) In Space, baby steps and a ponderous 'pivot': 2022 in Review Archived 24 December 2022 at the Wayback Machine
  133. ^ Jaspreet Gill (13 Jul 2022) Air Force needs more efficiency from 'raindrop' software factories: Former DoD cyber official Archived 14 July 2022 at the Wayback Machine devSecOps
    • Jaspreet Gill (7 Feb 2022) The Pentagon wants to turn its 29 software factories into one ‘ecosystem’ Archived 14 July 2022 at the Wayback Machine
  134. ^ David Roza (14 Jun 2022) The Pentagon’s new data chief waited days just for an ID card Archived 14 June 2022 at the Wayback Machine
  135. ^ Sandra Erwin (February 17, 2019). "Pentagon seeking proposals for how to use sensors in space to quickly target enemy missiles". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  136. ^ Mandy Mayfield (16 Apr 2020) JUST IN: Pentagon Bringing New Space Sensing Capabilities Online (UPDATED) Archived 4 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine Space Fence
  137. ^ "Satellite Map | Explore Active Satellites Orbiting Earth". geoxc-apps.bd.esri.com. Archived from the original on 2022-12-27. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  138. ^ Jacqueline Feldscher (31 Mar 2022) Space Force Buys a Digital Twin of Orbital Space Archived 1 April 2022 at the Wayback Machine "Updated 'minute-by-minute', the Slingshot Aerospace tool is expected to improve training and real-world planning"
  139. ^ Eric Berger (8 Aug 2022) Rocket Lab’s launch cadence now “100 percent” driven by market demand -Updated Archived 9 August 2022 at the Wayback Machine Western Launch Companies: United Launch Alliance, ArianeSpace, SpaceX, and Rocket Lab
  140. ^ Courtney Albon (14 July 2023) Space Force to open launch business to a third provider Archived 23 February 2024 at the Wayback Machine
  141. ^ Robert Johnson (19 May 2021) Parsons Lands $185M Task to Support Space Force Situational Awareness System Archived 28 September 2021 at the Wayback Machine Integrated Solutions for Situational Awareness ISSA, unclassified version
  142. ^ airandspaceforces.com (22 Jun 2023) 2023 USAF & USSF Almanac: DAF Personnel Archived 7 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine DAF TOTAL FORCE END STRENGTH as of 30 Sep 2022 (SDA was not yet included)
  143. ^ Courtney Albon (3 Nov 2022) Next Space Force chief should focus on resiliency, Raymond says Archived 23 February 2024 at the Wayback Machine 1st commander of USSF. Summary: SWAC worked well with 600 people.
  144. ^ Theresa Hitchens (26 Apr 2023) Space Force wraps initial plan for building 'hybrid' commercial/military 'outernet' Archived 27 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine
  145. ^ Courtney Albon (26 Apr 2023) The US is rethinking national security space architecture. Is it moving fast enough? 38:21 video. Col. Eric Felt; Mr. Nicholas Eftimiades
  146. ^ Courtney Albon (26 Apr 2023) Space Force eyes 'outernet' for better data flow in orbit Space Warfighting Analysis Center (SWAC) has analyzed Transport layer needs: Col. Felt. Use mesh networking, use commercial vendors
  147. ^ Bloomberg Quicktake: Originals (16 Jun 2022) How LeoLabs Is Using New Tech to Target Space Junk Archived 25 July 2022 at the Wayback Machine LEOLabs is focusing on the lowest 2,000 kilometers above Earth, provides an API to transmit collision avoidance (machine-to-machine API) alerts to its customers
  148. ^ C. Todd Lopez , DOD News (21 Oct 2022) U.S. Space Command to Transfer Space Object Tracking to Department of Commerce Archived 25 October 2022 at the Wayback Machine
  149. ^ Courtney Albon (10 Nov 2022) Why the Space Force is getting serious about on-orbit servicing
  150. ^ Sandra Erwin (12 Nov 2022) X-37B space plane completes its sixth mission, lands after nearly 30 months in orbit Could refuel satellites, move space junk to graveyard
  151. ^ a b Marcus Weisgerber (18 Apr 2023) Allies Want Space Defenses Too, US Official Says Archived 19 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine
  152. ^ Theresa Hitchens (19 Apr 2023) Space Force, SPACECOM pushing to speed 'sustained' maneuverability on orbit Archived 20 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine "on-orbit servicing and repair, satellite refueling and space junk cleanup"
  153. ^ Sandra Erwin (29 Aug 2023) TransAstra claims NASA contract for debris capture bag for junk
  154. ^ Christian Davenport, (c) 2023 The Washington Post (8 Mar 2023) War in space: U.S. officials debating rules for a conflict in orbit Archived 9 March 2023 at the Wayback Machine Falcon 9 61 Launches in 2022
  155. ^ Theresa Hitchens (15 Sep 2021) Revolutionary Tech Could Allow Near-Real Time Space Tracking, Company Says Archived 15 September 2021 at the Wayback Machine MITRE
  156. ^ Theresa Hitchens "Theater Commands OK SDA's Sat Plans: EXCLUSIVE". April 1, 2021.
  157. ^ Nate Turkin (28 Apr 2021) What focus areas are key to America’s future space capabilities? Archived 3 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine
  158. ^ Le portail Sécurité et Défense du Québec "US Army network team sets timeline for satellite constellations". SDQuébec.
  159. ^ Colin Clark (20 Mar 2019) Space Force May Not Fix Space Acquisition Mess Archived 4 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine Military space programs have to navigate a maze of 60 agencies
  160. ^ Theresa Hitchens and Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. (7 August 2019) Army Seeks Small Satellites To Support Ground Troops Archived 29 March 2023 at the Wayback Machine 3 programs: Gunsmoke, Lonestar and Polaris.
    • Theresa Hitchens (12 October 2020) SMDC Pushes For New PNT, Tracking Sat Payloads Archived 18 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine In addition to the 3 LEO satellite programs mentioned above, SMDC's technical center is working on project TITAN (Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node), a "common, mobile ground station" for the Army's tactical needs. This is part of the Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) capability.
  161. ^ Detsche Welle (27 Oct 2022) Ukraine updates: Russia threatens West's satellites Archived 27 October 2022 at the Wayback Machine
  162. ^ Theresa Hitchens (25 Oct 2022) 24 hours to launch: Space Force, DIU kick off new 'Tactically Responsive Space' mission Archived 27 August 2023 at the Wayback Machine Space Systems Command Victus Nox → Victus Haze satellite, an in-orbit inspector of LEO satellites.
  163. ^ Washington Headquarters Service (WHS) (2010) Plain Language Archived 2022-06-28 at the Wayback Machine Official DoD Plain Language Website — DoD Instruction 5025.13, "DoD Plain Language Program".
  164. ^ Lolita C. Baldor and Tara Copp, AP (31 Jul 2023) Biden decides to keep Space Command in Colorado, rejecting move to Alabama Archived 31 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine
    • Theresa Hitchens (31 Jul 2023) Space Command HQ staying in Colorado, as Biden reverses Trump decision Archived 1 August 2023 at the Wayback Machine
    • Sen. Jeanne Shaheen noted that Missile Defense Agency lost 80% of its workforce in the move to Alabama in 2005.—Marcus Weisgerber and Bradley Peniston (31 Jul 2023) Biden to reverse Trump decision to move Space Command to Alabama Archived 1 August 2023 at the Wayback Machine
  165. ^ AirAndSpaceForces.com (11 Oct 2022) Watch, Read: 'Accelerating Space Acquisition' Archived 11 October 2022 at the Wayback Machine Video (pre-SDA in Space Force): SpRCO, SSC talking with Calvelli (SAF/SQ) video: Calvelli; Hammett; Whitney; Purdy
  166. ^ Courtney Albon (21 Sep 2022) Is Space Force moving fast enough for its Rapid Capabilities Office? Space RCO is DRU of "SpOC" ?
  167. ^ Theresa Hitchens (5 Oct 2022) New Space Force team to streamline 'onboarding' new tech for operational use Archived 5 October 2022 at the Wayback Machine
  168. ^ Theresa Hitchens (1 Nov 2022) With new 'scorecard', Space Force’s acquisition chief talks changing culture Archived 2 November 2022 at the Wayback Machine "I'm really messaging three things to industry — that I really want them to give me credible proposals, and I really want them to execute, and I'm not going to tolerate poor performance" —Frank Calvelli
  169. ^ Courtney Albon (1 Nov 2022) Space Force's Calvelli issues acquisition 'guideposts' "nine acquisition tenets"
  170. ^ Theresa Hitchens (25 Apr 2023) Space Force acquisition czar wraps program 'scorecard', puts floundering contractors on notice Archived 26 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine
  171. ^ Marcus Weisgerber (1 Nov 2022) It’s Official: Space Force Sets Sights on Smaller Satellites Archived 2 November 2022 at the Wayback Machine
  172. ^ Colin Demarest (12 Sep 2023) US Air Force prioritizing cloud-based command and control C2BC, part of CJADC2
  173. ^ Greg Hadley (1 Aug 2023) Cropsey Wants to Keep Things Simple: 'Complexity Is Going to Kill Us' Archived 3 August 2023 at the Wayback Machine
  174. ^ Theresa Hitchens (17 May 2023) Space Force ground control operators press for 'absolutely critical' network upgrades Archived 18 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine Overview of Satellite Control Network
  175. ^ Theresa Hitchens (25 Sep 2023) Modern antenna for aging Satellite Control Network passes first test Archived 27 September 2023 at the Wayback Machine SpRCO Phased Array progress
  176. ^ Theresa Hitchens (14 Dec 2023) Space Force's new, classified 'threat warning' sensors now delivering intel on 'foreign capabilities' Archived 15 December 2023 at the Wayback Machine SpRCO replacement for Satellite Control Network
  177. ^ Sandra Erwin (17 May 2023) Space Force selects Parsons to develop ground system for missile-warning satellites Ground stations For 6 'missile warning, missile tracking, missile track custody' (MTC) satellites in MEO by 2026 --Space Systems Command
  178. ^ Greg Hadley (17 May 2023) USAF Looks to Fill Intelligence Gaps from Space Archived 19 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine spaceBasedIsr: ISR (Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance)
  179. ^ Thomas Gnau (18 May 2023) New Mission for Wright-Patterson: Air Force Says Base to Get New ISR Mission Archived 19 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine 76th ISR squadron in Space Delta 7, Wright Patterson AFB. 90 people
  180. ^ Michael Marrow (23 Mar 2023) In new JADC2 overhaul, Air Force pushes all-encompassing 'DAF Battle Network' Archived 23 March 2023 at the Wayback Machine Cropsey to work with ASAFs Hunter and Calvelli, and their leads Jeffrey Valenzia and John Olson (USAF, USSF)
  181. ^ Jaspreet Gill (19 Sep 2022) 'Decision superiority': Air Force picks 5 companies to develop ABMS digital infrastructure Archived 26 September 2022 at the Wayback Machine Calvelli gets another report, for Advanced Battle Management System (Air Force and Space Force implementation of JADC2). Air Force's Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO) leads the ABMS Digital Infrastructure Consortium for "secure processing, resilient communications, data management and open-architecture".
  182. ^ Theresa Hitchens (18 Jan 2023) Space acquisition office weighs mission priorities in case satellites go down Archived 19 January 2023 at the Wayback Machine "a new program office dedicated solely to 'resiliency' "
  183. ^ Colin Demarest (23 Sep 2022) Siemens, 29 others added to Air Force’s $950 million JADC2 contract
  184. ^ Tobias Naegele (16 Dec 2022) Air Force Vice Chief: B-21 Not Just a Bomber, Will Mesh with JADC2, NGAD Archived 16 December 2022 at the Wayback Machine
  185. ^ Tim Ryan Mitchell Institute (11 Jan 2023) To ensure JADC2, and to win in future conflicts, look to the transport layer in space Archived 13 February 2023 at the Wayback Machine Ground Moving Target Identification (GMTI) and Air Moving Target Identification (AMTI)
  186. ^ Amanda Miller (3 Nov 2022) Refining the JADC2 Concept Archived 30 November 2022 at the Wayback Machine "Agreeing to share data is easy. Actually doing it is hard". —Derek M.Tournear, SDA: °First) beyond-line-of-sight targeting. "Think mobile missile launchers—think ships. Detect them. Track them. Calculate a fire control solution and send it down directly to the war fighter so they can use that in their solution"; °Second) enable that same thing 'for advanced missiles in flight'. That is, to detect and track a hypersonic glide vehicle in flight, then "calculate a fire control solution [and] send it down to an interceptor to take out that threat immediately".
  187. ^ Theresa Hitchens (18 Jul 2023) SDA racing ahead with new, US-based satellite ground stations, could meet hiccup abroad Archived 19 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine 19 ground stations April or May 2024, for the 166 satellites of Tranche 1
  188. ^ Courtney Albon (7 Jul 2022) US Space Force rapid capabilities office to deliver first project this year Archived 27 September 2022 at the Wayback Machine Kelly Hammett directs Space RCO. Space RCO is colocated with Space Systems Command’s Innovation and Prototyping Delta, and Air Force Research Laboratory’s Space Vehicles Directorate
  189. ^ Theresa Hitchens (29 Jun 2022) New Space Force acquisition exec eschews more reorganization Archived 29 June 2022 at the Wayback Machine Frank Calvelli
  190. ^ Theresa Hitchens (28 Jun 2021) Loft Orbital’s ‘Rideshare’ Sats: Take An Uber To Space Archived 29 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine Yam-2, Yam-3
  191. ^ Theresa Hitchens (1 Jul 2021) SMC Eyes MEO Sats For Missile Tracking Archived 2 July 2021 at the Wayback Machine Raytheon & Boeing Millennium Systems are designing digital prototypes which are in Critical design review (CDR) by Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) for launch to MEO in late 2022. Missile Track Custody Prototype (TCD)
  192. ^ Sandra Erwin (4 Jan 2023) Raytheon selects Lockheed Martin bus for U.S. Space Force missile-tracking satellite "Raytheon's infrared sensing payload will be integrated on a Lockheed Martin LM400" 2026 launch
  193. ^ Theresa Hitchens (20 Oct 2023) Space Force plans next MEO missile tracking satellite awards by early 2025 Archived 21 October 2023 at the Wayback Machine spiral development of "MEO missile warning/tracking" in 3 epochs
  194. ^ Sandra Erwin (30 Oct 2023) Space Force to begin procurement of missile-tracking satellites for medium Earth orbit constellation MEO
  195. ^ Nathan Strout (29 Nov 2021) Raytheon acquires SEAKR Engineering
  196. ^ Marjorie Censer (18 Dec 2022) L3Harris moves to acquire Aerojet Rocketdyne Archived 23 February 2024 at the Wayback Machine for $4.7 billion, after Lockheed Martin ended its attempt for Rocketdyne in Feb 2022
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  201. ^ Tony Capaccio (10 Jul 2021) Pentagon Sees China’s Offensive Space Technology ‘On the March’ Archived 11 July 2021 at the Wayback Machine Jamming, dazzling, kinetic kill
  202. ^ Theresa Hitchens (16 Jul 2021) NTS-3, Aiming To Improve On GPS, Starts Integration Tests In August Archived 17 July 2021 at the Wayback Machine Toolkit of PWSA techniques
  203. ^ Nathan Strout (29 Jul 2021) Space Force launches small satellite to test new sensor possibilities Archived 1 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine 6U vs 12U bus
  204. ^ CTO Advanced Capabilities (2021) Advanced Capabilities Roles Archived 2021-08-02 at the Wayback Machine
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    • Michael J. Dunn, Space Systems Command, Capability Area Integrator for Positioning, Navigation and Timing (2 May 2022) Directions 2022: GPS positioned for the future Archived 21 January 2023 at the Wayback Machine space segment: GPS Block III user equipment segment: MGUE —modernized GPS user equipment
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  209. ^ Michael Marrow (27 Sep 2022) Space Force sees another schedule slip for OCX delivery, risking GPS IIIF delay Archived 14 December 2022 at the Wayback Machine on IOC of Apr 2023: "OCX will replace the legacy Global Positioning System ground control apparatus as the Space Force plans the launch of a new series of GPS satellites"
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  213. ^ Theresa Hitchens (2 Feb 2024) Ground system for jam-resistant GPS delayed again to July 2025 at earliest, Pentagon tester says Archived 2 February 2024 at the Wayback Machine OCX by July 2025; MGUE receiver cards and GPS IIIF launches are also delayed.
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  216. ^ Theresa Hitchens (1 Jul 2022) Experimental missile warning satellite will test tech for Space Force use in multiple orbits Archived 1 July 2022 at the Wayback Machine WFOV to GEO, for OPIR
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  220. ^ Theresa Hitchens (9 Nov 2023) Space Force taps 4 firms to vie for missile warning C2 prototype Archived 10 November 2023 at the Wayback Machine Pathway from SBIRS replacements to ground stations
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  235. ^ a b Theresa Hitchens (6 Feb 2023) Oversight or overkill? DoD faces new congressional order to detail Mid-Tier Acquisitions Archived 7 February 2023 at the Wayback Machine "While lawmakers worry over lack of oversight, MITRE's Pete Modilgiani tells Breaking Defense, 'The Middle Tier of Acquisition [MTA] pathway is one of DoD's most valuable tools to rapidly deliver capabilities ... to deter China’s threat' ".
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  245. ^ Theresa Hitchens (15 Apr 2021) Antennas: The hard physics challenge for Space Force ‘hybrid’ SATCOM plan Archived 18 April 2022 at the Wayback Machine TITAN seeks "SATCOM signals from constellations in LEO, MEO and GEO"
  246. ^ Breaking Defense (24 Oct 2022) TITAN is a thing of great strength, intellect, and importance: For the Army, it’s all that for JADC2 Archived 25 October 2022 at the Wayback Machine "A tactical ground station that finds and tracks threats to support long-range precision targeting, TITAN promises to bring together data from ground, air, and space sensors".
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  248. ^ Theresa Hitchens (12 Sep 2023) Space Force prototypes new 'integrated' Deltas for readiness boost Archived 14 September 2023 at the Wayback Machine For 1 year, SpOC is prototyping 2 Integrated Mission Deltas (IMDs): 1 for electronic warfare, 1 for Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT). SpOC is the operations side of USSF; SSC is for acquisition and sustainment
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  250. ^ Theresa Hitchens (19 Dec 2022) SES launches O3b mPower satellites, eyeing government, defense sectors Archived 19 December 2022 at the Wayback Machine Satellite uses 5000 digitally formed beams, each tuned to a different sovereign user. 2 satellites launched into MEO, 11 satellites planned
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  254. ^ Sandra Erwin (1 Feb 2023) Space Development Agency issues draft solicitation for 72 satellites beta 2026 Tranche 2 Transport Layer: "The Space Development Agency is planning a new procurement of 72 satellites to continue to build out a military constellation in low Earth orbit". Part of a 216 satellite tranche. 6 orbital planes.
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  257. ^ Eric Berger (14 Nov 2022) The first cubesat to fly and operate at the Moon has successfully arrived Archived 15 November 2022 at the Wayback Machine cislunar Cubesat
  258. ^ Theresa Hitchens (17 Nov 2022) 'Critically important': New White House strategy for cislunar research echoes Space Force Archived 18 November 2022 at the Wayback Machine
  259. ^ Katie Balevic (3 Feb 2024) Space Force is sending one of its 'Guardians' into space for the first time in its history Archived 4 February 2024 at the Wayback Machine Nick Hague's 3rd tour as astronaut
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