CUSTODY

The Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) will enable 24/7, all-weather custody of time-sensitive, left-of-launch surface mobile targets to support targeting for advanced weapons.

In contrast to the Transport and Tracking Layers, a satellite constellation is not currently planned for the Custody Layer. Instead, the Custody Layer will leverage multiple sensing types, via mission partner contributions, and enhanced on-obit fusion to deliver capability.

Maintaining track for left-of-launch time-critical targets, coupled with low-latency space data transport, will enable the creation of a targeting solution from the sensor to the warfighter in operationally relevant timelines through increasing levels of automation.

SDA is exploring technical areas enabling the Custody Layer including, but not limited to:

• Improvements in automated processing and fusion of data from traditional space-based sensing payloads (e.g., visible, infrared, RF, synthetic aperture radar, and multispectral),
• Design of a multi-phenomenology fusion architecture that enables the agile incorporation of new algorithms,
• Identification and exploration of novel sensing phenomenologies to enable maintaining custody of threat targets,
• Reduction in latency of processing, exploitation and dissemination of data for time sensitive targeting solutions especially for targets in a denied environment, and
• Memory management and target hypothesis distribution from one satellite node to the next.