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U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA)

US
gov defenseFounded 2019
United States
Admin Edit

All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.

The Department of Defense stood up the Space Development Agency in March 2019 under Mike Griffin’s office.

Mentioned as: Space Development AgencyTechnical ProductJun 23, 2020Undersecretary of Defense Mike Griffin and deputy Lisa Porter stepping down

The Space Development Agency must be transferred from the Office of the Secretary of Defense to the U.S. Space Force by 2022-10-01 or earlier.

Mentioned as: Space Development AgencyTechnical ProductJun 23, 2020SASC NDAA authorizes $250 million for Air Force R&D partnerships with launch industry

The 2021 draft National Defense Authorization Act is heavy on nuclear weapons policy and missile defense and raises questions about the Department of Defense’s use of commercial space technology, its acquisition strategy for satellite-based communications, and the future plans of the Space Development Agency.

Mentioned as: the space development agencyTechnical ProductJun 21, 2020HASC strategic forces draft bill presses DoD on space procurements, use of commercial tech

Congress directed the Department of Defense to transfer the Space Development Agency to the U.S. Space Force by October 2022.

Mentioned as: U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA)Narrative GeneralJun 18, 2020Space Development Agency wants to demonstrate hardware before merging with Space Force

Space Development Agency Director Derek Tournear argued that the SDA needs at least two years to demonstrate its business model before being merged with the U.S. Space Force.

Mentioned as: Space Development AgencyOrg RelationshipJun 18, 2020Space Development Agency wants to demonstrate hardware before merging with Space Force

Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett supports consolidating space programs under the U.S. Space Force and is pushing for the Space Development Agency to be realigned sooner than 2022.

Mentioned as: U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA)Narrative GeneralJun 18, 2020Space Development Agency wants to demonstrate hardware before merging with Space Force

The Space Development Agency plans to create sensor and communications layers to provide persistent, low-latency tracking and targeting.

Mentioned as: U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA)Narrative PlanJun 18, 2020Space Development Agency wants to demonstrate hardware before merging with Space Force

Shawn Barnes supports transferring the Space Development Agency in a conditions-based manner and as soon as practical, ideally in fiscal year 2021.

Mentioned as: Space Development AgencyTechnical ProductJun 16, 2020Space Force acquisition reform proposals still being revised

The Department of Defense has committed to transferring the Space Development Agency to the Space Force by 2022-10-01.

Mentioned as: U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA)Org RelationshipJun 16, 2020Space Force acquisition reform proposals still being revised

Congress directed the Department of Defense to transfer the Space Development Agency to the Space Force by 2022-10-01.

Mentioned as: U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA)Narrative GeneralJun 16, 2020Space Force acquisition reform proposals still being revised

Tranche 0 is the Space Development Agency’s initial deployment planned for 2022.

Mentioned as: U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA)Org RelationshipJun 8, 2020DoD to test laser communications terminals in low Earth orbit

The Space Development Agency requires the transport-layer satellites to pass data in space and down to the ground with very low latency and plans to use optical inter-satellite crosslinks with RF crosslinks as a backup.

Mentioned as: Space Development AgencyTechnical ProductJun 8, 2020DoD to test laser communications terminals in low Earth orbit

The Space Development Agency plans to buy optical terminals from multiple vendors and is asking bidders to ensure their hardware is interoperable with other vendors' systems.

Mentioned as: the space development agencyOrg RelationshipJun 8, 2020DoD to test laser communications terminals in low Earth orbit

The Space Development Agency and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency will test optical communications terminals that use lasers to beam data across space.

Mentioned as: Space Development AgencyTechnical ProductJun 8, 2020DoD to test laser communications terminals in low Earth orbit

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems signed an agreement with the Space Development Agency on 2020-06-05 to conduct a series of experiments for optical inter-satellite links using the company’s laser communication terminals.

Mentioned as: U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA)Org RelationshipJun 8, 2020DoD to test laser communications terminals in low Earth orbit

The Space Development Agency included in a request for proposals that optical inter-satellite links are one of the most critical technologies required to be demonstrated for Tranche 0.

Mentioned as: Space Development AgencyTechnical ProductJun 8, 2020DoD to test laser communications terminals in low Earth orbit

The Space Development Agency will solicit proposals from contractors to build the first eight satellites of the missile-tracking constellation.

Mentioned as: U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA)Narrative PlanJun 7, 2020Space Development Agency to deploy hypersonic missile defense satellites by 2022

The Space Development Agency will provide a sensor payload that the contractor must integrate with a satellite bus and place on a launch vehicle.

Mentioned as: Space Development AgencyTechnical ProductJun 7, 2020Space Development Agency to deploy hypersonic missile defense satellites by 2022

The Space Development Agency plans to have enough satellites by 2025 to achieve full global coverage for the missile-warning network.

Mentioned as: the space development agencyTechnical ProductJun 7, 2020Space Development Agency to deploy hypersonic missile defense satellites by 2022

By 2022 or 2023 the Space Development Agency plans to field an early version of a missile-warning network with about 70 wide-field-of-view and medium-field-of-view satellites to provide regional persistence in LEO.

Mentioned as: U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA)Org RelationshipJun 7, 2020Space Development Agency to deploy hypersonic missile defense satellites by 2022
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