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.
All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.
DARPA planned to provide a free launch for RSGS, originally set for 2021, and to provide the robotic payload.
DARPA selected SSL over competitor Orbital ATK (now Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems) for the RSGS partnership in February 2017.
DARPA sought funding in the U.S. Air Force’s 2019 budget to secure a launch contract intended to get RSGS into orbit by spring 2021.
Under the RSGS OTA agreement, SSL agreed to invest resources in the program and DARPA committed to provide Naval Research Laboratory robotic arms for integration with the satellite.
DARPA awarded satellite bus contracts for Blackjack to Airbus, Blue Canyon Technologies, and Telesat.
DARPA's goal for Blackjack is to launch a small experimental constellation of up to 20 satellites to test the concept.
DARPA extended the DARPA Launch Challenge requirement for prospective teams to have FAA launch license applications formally accepted from 2019-02-01, to 2019-02-15, because of the shutdown.
Rocket Lab will launch an experimental DARPA satellite on its Electron rocket from New Zealand in February 2019.
DARPA plans to launch a small experimental Blackjack constellation of commercial satellites in low Earth orbit equipped with military payloads sometime in the next two to three years.
The DARPA Tactical Technology Office study team has 60 days to complete the task of mapping a concept for the Space Development Agency.
Maxar Technologies is developing the Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites vehicle with the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency for launch in 2021.
Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Mike Griffin directed Fred Kennedy, director of DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office, to lead a study team to develop recommendations for implementing the Space Development Agency.
Space-Based High Frequency Testbed 2 was developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to demonstrate using high-frequency radio signals to study the ionosphere.
A DARPA spokesman stated that the Space Development Agency study is led by Mike Griffin and that the makeup of the team working with Fred Kennedy on the study was not yet known as of 2018-12-17.
DARPA canceled the SeeMe program in 2015 after two years, and only one satellite was completed for that program.
Telesat received an earlier DARPA contract on 2018-11-16 worth approximately $550,000 to help DARPA better understand commercial commoditized buses and their mechanical, electrical, and network interfaces.
DARPA chose to include a satellite operator in Blackjack to leverage commercial investment in the Telesat LEO constellation.
Telesat received a $2.8 million, 12-month DARPA study contract announced on 2018-11-27 to assess the utility of Telesat buses.
Blue Canyon Technologies of Boulder, Colorado received a $1,500,000 study contract from DARPA for Blackjack.
DARPA aims to pay no more than $6,000,000 per Blackjack satellite, including launch.