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Northrop Grumman is deepening its integration into the Space Development Agency’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture.
The U.S. Space Force Space Development Agency awarded a $52.5 million contract to Starfish Space to provide Deorbit-as-a-Service for satellites within the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture.
The GAO recommended that the Secretary of the Air Force ensure the Space Development Agency follows a more collaborative process with warfighter participants to define and prioritize requirements.
Government procurement regulations constrained the Space Development Agency from adopting the manufacturing flexibility used by commercial operators.
The GAO report found that SDA assesses technology maturity at the satellite level, which under-identifies the maturity of enabling technologies such as infrared payloads, optical communications terminals, and flight software.
Under the contract, Starfish Space will build, launch, and operate an Otter spacecraft in low Earth orbit to dispose of SDA satellites at the end of their operational lives.
SDA uses a spiral development model intended to balance technical and programmatic risks while taking a commercial-first approach, accelerating fielded capabilities, enhancing industrial base capacity, and increasing flexibility.
The Space Development Agency reported early milestones for the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA), but the GAO concluded those reports do not reflect underlying schedule risks.
The Space Development Agency has awarded contracts every two years regardless of previous satellite performance.
The GAO report found that three combatant commands said they lack insight into how SDA forms requirements for each tranche.
The primary focus for CASR’s 2026 operationalization phase is Space Domain Awareness (SDA).
The decrease in Northrop Grumman's 2025 space systems sales was primarily driven by the end of work on classified and intelligence programs, lower production volume on the SLS booster program, and a decrease in SDA satellite programs due to the timing of materials.
The National Space Development Agency (NASDA) was created to import American liquid-propulsion technology for larger launch vehicles.
JAXA was formed in 2003 by combining the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), the National Space Development Agency (NASDA), and the National Aerospace Laboratory to centralize civil space activities.
The Space Development Agency advocates for proliferated architectures in satellite design.
Starfish Space received a contract from the U.S. Space Development Agency on January 21, 2026, for providing deorbit services to a defense-related satellite constellation in low Earth orbit.
Rocket Lab secured major contracts for the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 2 Transport Layer.
The Space Development Agency awarded Starfish Space a $52.5 million contract to perform end-of-life deorbiting for a satellite in the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture with options for additional deorbits.
The U.S. Space Force awarded Starfish Space a $52.5 million contract to deorbit satellites in the Space Development Agency’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture constellation when those satellites reach their expiration dates.
Deorbiting satellites helps the Space Development Agency operate its Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture constellation for a longer period.