The U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA) is a U.S. Space Force direct-reporting unit focused on the rapid deployment of space-based capabilities to the joint warfighter. It aims to achieve this through the development, fielding, and operation of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, a threat-driven constellation of small satellites in low Earth orbit. SDA's key focus areas include military data and communications connectivity, missile tracking, and development of a resilient space architecture, working with partners like Lockheed Martin, SpaceX, and York Space Systems. Their work supports terrestrial missions and enhances warfighter lethality, maneuverability, and survivability.
All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.
Rocket Lab is executing a $515,000,000 prime contract with the Space Development Agency to build 18 spacecraft for Tranche 2 Transport Layer.
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions secured a $116.7 million, five-year contract from the U.S. Space Development Agency to develop a ground system that supports missile-defense operations with data from low Earth orbit satellites.
The Space Development Agency is seeking to establish a common, enduring ground infrastructure that can support a range of fire-control programs.
Rocket Lab is executing a $515,000,000 prime contract with the Space Development Agency to build 18 spacecraft for the Tranche 2 Transport Layer program.
All work under the SDA contract will be performed at Sierra Space’s satellite production facilities near Centennial, Colorado.
The $740,000,000 SDA contract falls under the Space Development Agency’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, specifically the Tranche 2 Tracking Layer.
Lockheed Martin integrated Terran Orbital’s satellite buses into military projects, including a low Earth orbit satellite program led by the Space Development Agency.
The HALO acquisition mechanism enables nontraditional defense contractors to work directly with the Space Development Agency to produce rapid on-orbit mission-feasibility prototypes.
LeoStella partnered with BlackSky as a subcontractor for the HALO competitive program and is pre-qualified to work directly with the Space Development Agency to develop on-orbit mission-feasibility prototypes.
The Space Development Agency selected LeoStella to support the Hybrid Acquisition for Proliferated Low-Earth Orbit (HALO) program.
HALO is designed to test and refine technologies before integrating them into the Space Development Agency’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA).
The Space Development Agency Transport Layer seeks to enable satellites in different orbital planes to communicate.
The Space Development Agency plans to have the Tranche 3 batch of satellites in place starting in 2029.
For the Space Development Agency, achieving the Transport Layer capability requires a large field of regard spanning up and down across orbital geometry.
CesiumAstro was selected by the Space Development Agency for the Hybrid Acquisition for Proliferated LEO (HALO) program on 2024-10-23.
Dr Derek Tournear, Director of the Space Development Agency, delivered a keynote at Silicon Valley Space Week MilSat Symposium on 2024-10-23.
Justin Luczyk is general manager of Tesat Government and views Starlink primarily as a competitor to the Space Development Agency because Starlink provides a transport layer serving many users with data.
The Space Development Agency cooperates with foreign partners including Australia.
The Space Development Agency signed a similar agreement in 2021 with Capella Space, another commercial synthetic aperture radar satellite operator.
Power Device Corporation deployed SCS3740 Single Board Computers onboard Space Development Agency Tracking Layer satellites built by L3Harris Technologies.