Threat warning and survivability in the modern battlespace
Protecting warfighters requires fast, accurate, and dependable systems that work flawlessly to military standards.
The move is part of a long-running effort by Space Systems Command to reorganize acquisition programs along mission area lines, syncing up with the structure of the service's main operational arm, Space Operations Command.
Program officials overseeing the Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared (Next-Gen OPIR) effort told GAO investigators that the delay was caused not only by developmental problems, but also the Space Force's launch backlog.
Space Systems Command (SSC) in recent weeks has issued a flurry of contracts for the key hardware and software "thrusts" that make up the FORGE program, following a restructuring in 2023 that broke the effort into more manageable pieces.
"Unfortunately, we were, we were slowed down a bit by uncertainty in our budget," said SSC's Col. Rob Davis, delaying awards for Epoch 2 of the Resilient Missile Warning/Missile Tracking — MEO program by about three months.
"When one of our two industry partners struggled with delivering on cost and schedule, we were able to quickly pivot and still maintain program progress by turning to the performing vendor," Col. Rob Davis, program executive officer for SSC's Space Sensing Directorate, said.
Tournear said that the optical intersatellite link demonstration was final success in a trifecta of baseline challenges to SDA's plan to network hundreds of military satellites in LEO, as well as to eventually to integrate commercial satellites into the mix.
"This was done because the RTX Epoch 1 development effort was facing significant cost growth from the original agreement baseline, projecting slips to the launch schedule, and had unresolved design challenges," a Space Systems Command spokesperson told Breaking Defense.
"In the next few months, you can look for missile warning and space domain awareness as two mission areas [to be restructured], and then in the future satellite communications, for example, and then orbital warfare," Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, head of Space Systems Command, told the Mitchell Institute today.
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall explained that the "small decrease in the number for the Space Force" isn't itself quite reflective of reality, as there are mitigating circumstances that lessen the blow.
"This is not only new; it's astounding. It's shocking. It's a huge change (if adopted)," one industry contractor told Breaking Defense of the proposal.
While GEOST has made infrared sensors for classified systems in the ones and twos, the new contract will involve building infrared sensors designed to be used in a larger constellation, LightRidge CEO Bill Gattle told Breaking Defense.
The Space Force expects the multi-faceted Future Operationally Resilient Ground Evolution (FORGE) program to cost a total of $2.4 billion.