Space Technology Development and Prototyping

Abstract

SDA is responsible for developing and demonstrating the next generation space architecture to enable U.S. military operations to be responsive to emerging multi-domain threats against our national security. To achieve that goal, SDA will help inform the Department of Defense (DoD)'s decision to develop and implement a proliferated architecture enabled by lower-cost, mass-produced spacecraft and routine space access; shift the DoD to a development organization focused on experimentation, prototyping, and accelerated fielding. SDA will manage, direct, and execute the development of the space capabilities for the joint warfighter in accordance with DoD’s Space Vision and field space capabilities at speed and scale, with the following goals: •Bold breakthroughs designed to out-pace our competitors, •Technology maturation and systems engineering, •Lean engineering, manufacturing, and support, •Industrial base expansion; streamlined development and acquisition process, and •Increased acquisition cooperation with the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). SDA will rapidly deploy critical elements of next-generation space capabilities, initially focusing on these essential capabilities: •Persistent global surveillance for advanced missile targeting, •Indications, warnings, targeting, and tracking for defense against advanced missile threats, •Alternate position, navigation, and timing (PNT) for a navigation warfare (NAVWAR) resilient environment, •Global and near-real time space situational awareness, •Responsive, resilient, common ground-based space support infrastructure (e.g., ground stations and launch capability), •Cross-domain, networked, node-independent battle management command, control, and communications (BMC3), and •Highly-scaled, low-latency, persistent, artificial intelligence-enabled global surveillance. The establishment of a data transport layer in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is essential to developing a new, responsive space architecture, and will be SDA’s primary initial focus within the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA). SDA will develop an initial set of sub-constellations on this Transport Layer to provide additional capabilities, such as advanced missile warning. This program element funds efforts to develop and demonstrate a prototype proliferated Low Earth Orbit (pLEO) communications and data transport layer and its sub-constellations in support of the DoD Space Vision.

Document Details

• Document Type: R2 Budgetary Justification
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2024
• Source ID: 1206410SDA_4_0400_PB_2024
• Change Summary Explanation: Starting in FY 2023, the program and funding for PE 1206410SDA has been transferred to Appropriation 3620, RDT&E, Space Force, PE 1206410SF.
• Service Agency Name: Space Development Agency

Entities

Organizations

• Space Development Agency

Tags

Communities of Interest

• C4I
• Engineered Resilient Systems (Alumni COI)
• Human Systems
• Kinetic Weapons
• Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

• Command And Control
• Command And Control Systems
• Department Of Defense
• Earth Orbits
• Engineering
• Ground Based
• Ground Control Stations
• Ground Stations
• Information Systems
• Low Earth Orbits
• National Security
• Product Development
• Space Force
• Space Systems
• Spacecraft
• Systems Engineering
• Warfare

Readers

• Aerospace Engineering.
• Enterprise Information Systems Architecture and Joint Command Capability Interoperability Support.

Technology Areas

• AI & ML
• AI & ML - DoD AI Strategy
• Space
• Space - Satellites