Meanwhile, the report says, the Space Force should be in charge of pursuing large networks of small satellites under the Space Development Agency’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) — differentiating its “tactical ISR” job from the “strategic” mission of NRO.
By Theresa HitchensSolving the massive problem of heat in C4ISR technology
JADC2 and multi-domain operations require computing and communications at the edge, and a way to manage heat generated by these systems.
“On their aircraft and their ground units, they’ll be able to talk directly to us with Link 16 to our Tranche 0 satellites that are on orbit now,” Derek Tournear said at the 2024 Space Symposium.
By Michael Marrow
Next month’s launch “will be the first launch of an actual operational system,” NRO Principal Deputy Director Troy Meink said.
By Michael Marrow
SDA is asking for $357 million for FY25 launch services, down from the nearly $530 million in FY24. Those funds would pay to manifest four planned launches of the Tranche 2 Transport Layer satellites in 2027.
By Theresa Hitchens
The agencies said in their joint announcement that the “launch of the two prototype systems will be followed by two years of on-orbit testing.”
By Theresa Hitchens
An SDA official explained that the six “preliminary fire control” satellites in Tracking Layer Tranche 2 will carry a mix of wide-field-of-view and medium-field-of-view infrared cameras.
By Theresa Hitchens
presented by
A new constellation with laser comms and compatibility with the Space Development Agency’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture is now taking shape.
By Breaking Defense
Long-range, high-speed optical communications will be critical for the service’s plans for a “hybrid architecture” that would see networks of old and new military satellites, as well as commercial and allied networks, all communicating seamlessly to shift vast quantities of data around the world in near real-time.
By Theresa Hitchens
“Here’s the beauty of the spiral development program. I don’t know what Tranche 3 looks like. All I know is it’s more of what was on Tranche 2, and it is most likely going to be new capabilities,” SDA Director Derek Tournear said Thursday. “I don’t want to define what those capabilities are now.”
By Theresa Hitchens
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The backbone for Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) will be a mesh network of small satellites in SDA’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture.
By Breaking Defense
While SDA plans to use lasers to connect its hundreds of satellites in low Earth orbit to each other and to the ground, that technology remains in its infancy.
By Theresa Hitchens
The award to Northrop Grumman Space Systems has a total value of approximately $733 million; the Lockheed Martin award, approximately $816 million, the SDA release said. All totaled, the Space Development Agency up to now has awarded nearly $4.5 billion for the Transport Layer.
By Theresa Hitchens SDA Director Derek Tournear also shed some more light on the agency’s new, highly secretive FOO Fighter program to develop new fire control quality tracking satellites.
By Theresa Hitchens
The plan is to grant two contractors Other Transaction Authority awards to design and build the “Alpha” variant of SDA’s Tranche 2 Transport Layer satellites, with delivery of the first four in time for a September 2026 launch.
By Theresa Hitchens
