SDA resumes data relay satellite launch following tech fixes
The next set of 21 Tranche 1 Transport Layer birds are set to launch Thursday on a SpaceX Falcon 9, SDA Director Gurpartap "GP" Sandhoo told reporters.
SDA awards L3Harris, Sierra $1.75B for missile defense satellites
The new satellites for missile warning, tracking and targeting are being developed under an "accelerated" schedule to meet the Pentagon's 2028 plans for demonstrating its Golden Dome missile defense shield.
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Right sized for the fight, smaller Group 2 drones are solving for the limitations of larger UAS
It’s fuel cells, not batteries, that let Group 2 unmanned VTOLS fulfill many missions of larger Group 3s.
Rocket Lab to buy satellite communications firm Iridium
"Vertical integration is at the heart of this combination ― the ability to build, launch, and operate our own spacecraft quickly and cost-effectively," a Rocket Lab spokesperson told Breaking Defense.
SpaceX wins $2.29B to speed Space Force’s LEO communications ‘backbone’
The SpaceX "backbone" constellation will support the broader Space Data Network, which will include the Space Development Agency's Transport layer satellites.
Space Force names Sandhoo as head of new missile warning/tracking PAE
As of May 11, Sandhoo is double hatted as both head of the PAE and director of the Space Development Agency.
Space Force shifts from SDA transport layer to new Space Data Network ‘backbone’
A project previously called MILNET will now be funded in a budget line labeled “proliferated LEO SATCOM,” which the Space Force is seeking $1.6 billion in reconciliation funding to kick off.
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Networked for the fight: Army aviation’s next advantage
As operating environments grow more complex, Link 16 provides instantaneous, mission-wide connectivity to ensure no aircraft flies alone.
With new portfolios, SDA ‘probably won’t’ exist, acting director says
The rollout of a new acquisition model could reshape entities like the Space Development Agency or Space Rapid Capabilities Office, though their missions will persist, Gurpartap (GP) Sandhoo told reporters.
Space Force programs supporting Golden Dome see big FY27 budget boost
Missile warning and tracking programs, and the emerging Space Data Network being developed to ferry space sensor data to shooters on the ground, in the air and at sea are among the programs seeing huge increases.
EXCLUSIVE: SDA’s Sandhoo likely to lead Space Force Missile Warning & Tracking portfolio
It is unclear whether Gurpartap "GP" Sandhoo will keep his role as SDA acting director under a double-hat, but one industry source said that is the most likely solution at least in the near term.
SDA hopes to bring satellite laser links into use within next 6 months
The Space Development Agency is taking a "strategic pause" in launching its Tranche 1 data relay and missile tracking satellites to work out the kinks discovered in the 42 birds already on orbit, according to SDA Director GP Sandhoo.
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Europe’s military advantage depends on sovereign command of the ground truth
As NATO and European governments accelerate investment in space-based intelligence, decision advantage will depend on how quickly sovereign and commercial capabilities can be fused into a trusted operational picture.
What is the Pentagon’s ‘Space Data Network,’ and why does it matter for Golden Dome?
The SDN will provide the communications pathways for integrating and moving data from missile warning/tracking sensors to interceptors in near-real time under the Golden Dome construct.
The space supply chain is getting stretched. Here’s how it could impact the Pentagon’s plans.
Two major trade groups are working on studies to scope the supply chain issues, hone in on the most pressing problems, and identify early mitigation strategies.
SDA taps AST SpaceMobile to demo commercial satellite links to military radios
The $30M award is the first under SDA's Hybrid Acquisition for proliferated Low-earth Orbit (HALO) program.
Project Hecate: The Space Force’s quiet effort to keep GPS survivable after 2040
Meanwhile, the Space Warfighting Analysis Center is pushing the use of signals from communications satellites in low Earth orbit as a near-term alternative to GPS.