MODERNIZING THE MILITARY'S SPACE ARCHITECTURE

WHO WE ARE

The Space Development Agency orchestrates the development and fielding of DoD’s future threat-driven National Defense Space Architecture. SDA uses novel approaches to accelerate the military space capabilities necessary to ensure U.S. technological and military advantage in space for national defense.

CAPABILITY LAYERS

TRANSPORT LAYER

SDA's Transport Layer will provide assured, resilient, low-latency military data and communications connectivity worldwide to a full range of warfighter platforms.

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BATTLE MANAGEMENT LAYER

SDA's Battle Management Layer will provide architecture tasking, mission command and control, and data dissemination to support time-sensitive kill chain closure at campaign scales.

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TRACKING LAYER

SDA's Tracking Layer will provide global indications, warning, tracking, and targeting of advanced missile threats, including hypersonic missile systems.

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CUSTODY LAYER

SDA’s Custody Layer will provide 24/7, all-weather custody of time-sensitive, left-of-launch surface mobile targets to support targeting for advanced weapons.

 

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EMERGING CAPABILITIES (DETERRENCE) LAYER

SDA's Emerging Capabilities Layer will incubate new mission concepts. Initial focus will be to deter hostile action in deep space (beyond Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) up to lunar distances).

 

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NAVIGATION LAYER

SDA's Navigation Layer will provide alternate positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) for Global Positioning System (GPS)-denied environments.

 

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SUPPORT LAYER

SDA's Support Layer will enable ground and launch segments to support a responsive space architecture.

 

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SDA Awards Contracts for the First Generation of the Tracking Layer

Date: October 5, 2020 SDA announced October 5 two contract awards for the first generation of the Tracking Layer. These awards represent the next major and highly visible steps toward developing the National Defense Space Architecture’s inaugural tranche (called Tranche 0). Once fully operational, the SDA Tracking Layer will consist of a proliferated heterogeneous constellation…

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Space Development Agency Praised as Change Agent in Pentagon Procurement

Date: September 17, 2020 | Outlet: Space News | By: Sandra Erwin Telesat’s Don Brown: “The core challenge of the national security space architecture is not really engineering, it’s really culture and acquisition.” WASHINGTON — “We couldn’t believe they went so fast,” Telesat executive Don Brown said of the Space Development Agency’s first major contract…

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Agency Awards Contracts to Enable Data Transfer From Space

DATE: September 1, 2020 | Outlet: DoD News | By: DAVID VERGUN The Space Development Agency announced yesterday the award of two contracts for what’s known as the first generation of the transport layer, the acting deputy undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, and director of defense research and engineering for modernization said. These…

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SDA Awards Contracts for the First Generation of the Transport Layer

Date: August 31, 2020 SDA announced August 31 two contract awards for the first generation of the Transport Layer. These awards represent one of the first major and highly visible steps toward developing the National Defense Space Architecture’s inaugural tranche (called Tranche 0). This set of contract awards will initiate the design, development, and launch…

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Military Aims to Urgently Provide Disruptive Satellite Capabilities

Date: August 1, 2020 | Outlet: AFCEA – Signal Magazine | By: Kimberly Underwood The year-old Space Development Agency emphasizes speed in pursuing innovative space capabilities. The threats to the U.S. military and the nation are such that additional space-based capabilities must be rapidly fielded. A proliferated low-earth-orbit constellation of satellites and sensors will connect…

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U.S. CTO Kratsios named acting undersecretary for research and engineering, Lewis to serve as acting deputy

Date: July 13, 2020 | Outlet: Space News | By: Sandra Erwin WASHINGTON — U.S Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios will serve as acting undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, DoD announced on July 13. Kratsios will take over the position previously held by Mike Griffin. Mark Lewis was named acting deputy undersecretary of…

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SDA Posts RFI Seeking Industry Feedback for Tranche 0 MSE&I

Responses due by June 8, 2020 The Space Development Agency (SDA) seeks industry feedback on Tranche 0 Mission Systems Engineering and Integration (MSE&I). The scope of MSE&I support is delivery of an integrated, interoperable Tranche 0 system-of-systems to include integration of Transport and Tracking space vehicles, Naval Research Laboratory-based ground systems and hardware/software-in-the-loop testbeds. MSE&I…

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SMC Issues RFI Seeking Industry Feedback on SDA’s Tranche 0 Launch

Responses due by June 5, 2020 The U.S. Space Force, Space and Missile Systems Center seeks information through a Request for Information (RFI) from prospective launch service providers to support the Space Development Agency (SDA) first generation (called “Tranche 0”). The SDA Tranche 0 Space Vehicle (SV) manifest will consist of up to 30 large…

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SDA Posts DRAFT RFP Seeking Industry Feedback on Tracking Tranche 0

Original Responses due by May 29, 2020 The Space Development Agency (SDA) seeks input on a DRAFT Request for Proposal (RFP) to inform the approach and technical requirements for the Tracking layer. Tracking Tranche 0 is expected to consist of approximately 8-10 satellites that are interconnected with cross links and wide field of view infrared…

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SDA Posts First RFP Seeking Proposals in Support of Transport Tranche 0

Proposals are due by Noon EDT on June 1, 2020 The Space Development Agency (SDA) seeks proposals on their first Request for Proposal (RFP) to help build the Transport layer. Transport Tranche 0 is an interoperable mesh network of tens of satellites to provide periodic low-latency and high-capacity data connectivity. The agency plans to award…

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