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.
Lightning is based on the same design as Rocket Lab’s custom spacecraft developed for MDA and Globalstar and serves as the basis for Rocket Lab’s bus for the Space Development Agency.
Lightning is based on the same design as the custom spacecraft Rocket Lab developed for MDA and Globalstar and serves as the basis for Rocket Lab’s bus for the Space Development Agency.
Redwire recently opened a facility in Longmont, Colorado to add capacity to design Link 16 antennas for the Space Development Agency’s network of low Earth orbit satellites.
The Space Development Agency is buying hundreds of commercial satellites to build a proliferated low Earth orbit constellation for military communications and missile tracking.
The Space Development Agency's budget request for 2024 is over $4,000,000,000.
The Space Development Agency's budget in 2020 was roughly $20,000,000.
The Space Development Agency procures satellites under fixed-price contracts.
Relative Dynamics began developing an optical ground terminal under a $1,700,000 Phase II Small Business Innovation Research contract from the U.S. Space Force Space Development Agency.
Relative Dynamics’ Ground Optical Communications Array Terminal (GOCArT) is designed to send and receive transmissions from optical terminals on Space Development Agency Tranche 2 satellites as well as commercial satellites.
Space Development Agency’s Transport Layer Tranche 2 is a tactical network to move data around the world.
EpiSci received a $1,600,000 two-year Small Business Innovation Research Phase 2 contract from the Space Development Agency on 2024-02-06.
The Space Development Agency is an organization within the U.S. Space Force building a low Earth orbit satellite network to provide global indications, warning, tracking, and targeting of advanced missile threats.
The Space Development Agency selected California-based EpiSci to develop a software tool capable of detecting hypersonic missiles in flight from satellite data.
Earlier 2024 L3Harris Technologies received a $919,000,000 contract to develop an 18-vehicle constellation for the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 2 Tracking Layer satellite program.
Five missile tracking satellites designed and built by L3Harris Technologies successfully launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida as part of the Missile Defense Agency’s Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor program and the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 0 Tracking Layer program.
The Space Development Agency is building a proliferated mesh network of satellites in low Earth orbit for the U.S. Department of Defense.
The Department of Defense will use a common set of data to adjust and modify capabilities for the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 1 and Tranche 2 Tracking Layer constellation.
Four infrared satellites from the same launch will support the Space Development Agency’s Tracking Layer by demonstrating global indications, warning, tracking, and targeting of advanced threats such as hypersonic missiles.
L3Harris received a $919,000,000 contract earlier in the year to develop an 18-vehicle constellation for the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 2 Tracking Layer satellite program.
The Department of Defense will use a common set of data to adjust and modify capabilities for the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 1 and Tranche 2 Tracking Layer constellation.