Exclusive: Space acquisition shop set for another re-org, following Congress-backed SWAC model

Exclusive: Space acquisition shop set for another re-org, following Congress-backed SWAC model
Exclusive: Space acquisition shop set for another re-org, following Congress-backed SWAC model

The Space Warfighting Analysis Center has started laying out force designs for critical operations, but will SSC be able to transition those blueprints into real-world acquisition programs, Lockheed Martin’s Eric Brown asked.

New Space Systems Command Gears Up Commercial Engagement

New Space Systems Command Gears Up Commercial Engagement
New Space Systems Command Gears Up Commercial Engagement

“The commercial space sector is driving the market, and “Space Systems commanders are eager to facilitate these companies and bring their unique solutions into our programs of record,” says Joy White, executive director of the new Space Systems Command.

Space Force Expands Commercial Launch Services Pool

Space Force Expands Commercial Launch Services Pool
Space Force Expands Commercial Launch Services Pool

The OSP-4 contract vehicle targets both mature launch providers and emerging companies approximately one year from being launch capable, according to SMC.

NTS-3, Aiming To Improve On GPS, Starts Integration Tests In August

NTS-3, Aiming To Improve On GPS, Starts Integration Tests In August
NTS-3, Aiming To Improve On GPS, Starts Integration Tests In August

UPDATED: To clarify costs. WASHINGTON: Ground integration tests of the experimental NTS-3 satellite, designed to demonstrate alternate positioning, navigation and timing capabilities to those now provided by GPS, will begin next month, an Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) official tells Breaking Defense. “We’re just getting into what we call the ‘end-to-end system integration’ test. We’re…

HAC Excoriates DoD Failure To Reform Space Acquisition

HAC Excoriates DoD Failure To Reform Space Acquisition
HAC Excoriates DoD Failure To Reform Space Acquisition

Space Force Plans for a new Space Systems Command “consist primarily of renaming the Space and Missile Systems Center” and do not “resolve the fundamental issues of overlap and duplication in roles,” the HAC report says.

Space RCO Head: Too Soon For Single Acquisition Shop

Space RCO Head: Too Soon For Single Acquisition Shop
Space RCO Head: Too Soon For Single Acquisition Shop

Space RCO is currently managing 13 classified programs, with another about to be initiated, said Director Mike Roberts.

SMC Eyes MEO Sats For Missile Tracking

SMC Eyes MEO Sats For Missile Tracking
SMC Eyes MEO Sats For Missile Tracking

Space Force is actively considering whether its future missile warning and tracking satellites should be stationed in a wider range of orbits than in the past to improve the network’s accuracy and resiliency, an SMC official says.

SMC’s Space Safari Office To Focus On ‘Urgent’ Launch Needs

SMC’s Space Safari Office To Focus On ‘Urgent’ Launch Needs
SMC’s Space Safari Office To Focus On ‘Urgent’ Launch Needs

So-called ‘responsive launch,’ the ability to launch practically on demand, has been a Holy Grail for the Pentagon for more than a decade with arguably not much real-world progress.

GPS III Launch Will Provide Global M-Code

GPS III Launch Will Provide Global M-Code
GPS III Launch Will Provide Global M-Code

“OCX and the user equipment piece do not come online until the third quarter of 2023; that is when we would expect to have our initial operational capability for the GPS enterprise across across all segments: space, ground and user equipment,” said Space and Missile Command’s Col. Ed Byrne.

Costs Plunge So ‘Rocket Cargo’ To Battlefield Takes Off

Costs Plunge So ‘Rocket Cargo’ To Battlefield Takes Off
Costs Plunge So ‘Rocket Cargo’ To Battlefield Takes Off

If industry can “turn this into a human transport mechanism — which some of the companies are talking about doing — sure the DoD would be interested in exploring options for that, just as we do with the airlines, and the shipping industries today,”AFRL’s Program Manager Greg Spanjers said.

Space Force To Develop Tech For New Types Of Launch

Space Force To Develop Tech For New Types Of Launch
Space Force To Develop Tech For New Types Of Launch

The funds will support potential new space missions such as re-fueling satellites on orbit.

New SBIRS Sat Creates Bridge To Next-Gen Missile Warning

New SBIRS Sat Creates Bridge To Next-Gen Missile Warning
New SBIRS Sat Creates Bridge To Next-Gen Missile Warning

The new SBIRS satellite, called SBIRS GEO 5, will be “the most advanced missile warning satellite” on orbit, said Lt. Col. Ryan Laughton, SMC’s program manager.

Space Force Digital Vision Focuses On Speedy Decisions

Space Force Digital Vision Focuses On Speedy Decisions
Space Force Digital Vision Focuses On Speedy Decisions

Gen. Jay Raymond, Space Force chief, stressed that the new digital vision applies not just to service acquisition, but to everything the newest military service does, with a bottom-line goal of speeding decision-making.

US ‘Will Fail’ If Space Acquisition Doesn’t Reform: CSPC

US ‘Will Fail’ If Space Acquisition Doesn’t Reform: CSPC
US ‘Will Fail’ If Space Acquisition Doesn’t Reform: CSPC

Space acquisition reform so far has been focused on “small dollar” activities, with most big-ticket programs such as NSSL stuck in the bad old ways, says a new report by Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress.