The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is a research and development agency within the U.S. Department of Defense, responsible for creating breakthrough technologies for national security. While not a space agency, DARPA initiates and manages high-risk, high-payoff projects relevant to space, including satellite constellations, space-based surveillance tech, lunar habitats, and advanced propulsion systems like nuclear thermal rockets. DARPA partners with various organizations, including NASA, U.S. Space Force, Lockheed Martin, SpaceX, and BAE Systems, to achieve its goals. Keywords associated with DARPA's space activities include space superiority, space-based weaponry, advanced materials, and autonomous systems.
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The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency selected Northrop Grumman as its commercial partner for the Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites program on 2020-03-04.
DARPA will provide the robotics payload for a Mission Robotic Vehicle that will be used to service satellites in geosynchronous Earth orbit.
DARPA selected SSL as its commercial partner for the RSGS program in February 2017 over competitor Orbital ATK.
DARPA seeks to bring dexterous on-orbit servicing to spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit and to establish that inspection, repair, life extension, and improvement of GEO assets can become routine.
DARPA has a planned budget of $64,600,000 for the Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites program for fiscal year 2020.
DARPA solicited new bids for the RSGS program in May 2019.
The vehicle being developed with DARPA will be used to install Mission Extension Pods on existing in-orbit commercial and government satellites to extend their service lives.
DARPA designated the 2020-03-02 opportunity as Astra’s final chance to perform the first of two launches required by the competition.
Astra was one of three finalists announced in April 2019, a year after DARPA formally started the competition.
Astra planned to launch its Rocket 3.0 vehicle from the Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska on Kodiak Island as the first of two orbital launches for the DARPA Launch Challenge.
Astra will perform both launches required by the DARPA Launch Challenge from the Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska on Kodiak Island from two separate pads about 300 m apart.
A two-week launch window for the first DARPA Launch Challenge launch opened 2020-02-17, with Astra expecting the earliest readiness on 2020-02-25 and daily three-hour launch windows through 2020-03-01.
DARPA announced the Launch Challenge in 2018 with the intent for competitors to perform two launches from two separate sites.
DARPA covered at least some of the costs of transporting Astra’s rocket to the Kodiak launch site and the rocket arrived within a couple hours of the 2020-02-18 briefing.
DARPA informed Astra on 2020-02-17 that Astra would be allowed to perform its second Launch Challenge launch from Kodiak, Alaska.
Astra will receive $10,000,000 for successfully performing a second DARPA Launch Challenge launch from another site.
Astra will receive $2,000,000 for successfully placing the DARPA-provided payload into orbit on the first mission.
Astra is the sole remaining team in the DARPA Launch Challenge and can win $2,000,000 for placing a DARPA-supplied payload into space on the first launch.
Astra can win an additional $10,000,000 in the DARPA Launch Challenge if it performs a second launch from a separate location within weeks of the first.
DARPA selected Astra, Vector, and Virgin Orbit as finalists for the DARPA Launch Challenge in April 2019.