SPEED. DELIVERY. AGILITY.

WHO WE ARE

Speed. Delivery. Agility.

Recognized as the Department of Defense's constructive disruptor for space acquisition, the Space Development Agency (SDA) will quickly deliver needed space-based capabilities to the joint warfighter to support terrestrial missions through development, fielding, and operation of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. SDA capitalizes on a unique business model that values speed and lowers costs by harnessing commercial development to achieve a proliferated architecture and enhance resilience. SDA will deliver a minimum viable product - on time, every two years- by employing spiral development methods, adding capabilities to future generations as the threat evolves.

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.

LEARN MORE

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.

LEARN MORE

TRACKING LAYER

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

LEARN MORE

CUSTODY LAYER

The Custody Layer enables 24/7 all-weather custody of time sensitive targets to support engagement by advanced weapons.

 

LEARN MORE

PWSA FUTURES

SDA Futures provides new mission concepts that deliver quantifiable warfighter benefits by maturing and transitioning technologies and capabilities into future tranches.

 

LEARN MORE

NAVIGATION LAYER

The Navigation Layer will establish a GPS-independent navigation capability for the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) using optical inter-satellite ranging, and optical space to ground links.

 

LEARN MORE

GROUND & LAUNCH

SDA's Ground & Launch Layer enables an integrated, resilient ground infrastructure to support a responsive space architecture.

 

LEARN MORE
Lockheed Martin’s SPD Center. Image: Lockheed Martin

SDA Is Strengthening Space Industrial Base, Execs Say

Date: May 3, 2024 | Outlet: Payload | By: Jacqueline Feldscher A five-year-old agency within the Pentagon founded with a mandate to move quickly is stimulating investments that make the entire small sat industrial base more resilient and scalable, according to half a dozen top industry execs.  While the Pentagon is known for delayed timelines…

Read Full Story

Space Development Agency Makes Award to Build Eight Satellites for FOO Fighter Program

Date: April 30, 2024 WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Space Development Agency (SDA) today announced an award using Other Transaction Authority (OTA) with a total potential value of approximately $414 million to build eight satellites, for launch in first quarter fiscal year 2027, to accelerate fire-control capability for global detection, warning, and precision tracking of advanced…

Read Full Story

SDA, MDA CONFIRM SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH OF TRANCHE 0 TRACKING AND THE HYPERSONIC AND BALLISTIC TRACKING SPACE SENSOR SATELLITES

Date: Feb. 15, 2024 On Wednesday, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and Space Development Agency (SDA) confirmed the successful launch of six satellites to low-Earth orbit at 5:30 p.m. ET from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. The satellites, which include two satellites for MDA’s Hypersonic and Ballistic…

Read Full Story

SDA, MDA ANNOUNCE UPCOMING LAUNCH OF THE TRANCHE 0 TRACKING AND HYPERSONIC AND BALLISTIC TRACKING SPACE SENSOR AND SATELLITES

The Space Development Agency (SDA) and Missile Defense Agency (MDA) prepare to launch six satellites to low-Earth orbit on Feb. 14. The satellites will launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space utilizing SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. This includes two satellites for MDA’s Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS) and the final four SDA Tranche 0 (T0) Tracking Layer satellites of its Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA). (Photo Credit: Courtesy of SpaceX)

Read Full Story

Space Development Agency Systems, Technologies, and Emerging Capabilities (STEC) Broad Agency Announcement 

Posted On: January 16, 2024 Original Date Offers Due: January 15, 2025 Through this updated Systems, Technologies, and Emerging Capabilities (STEC) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), SDA is soliciting executive summaries, invited proposal abstracts, and invited proposals for novel architecture concepts, systems, technologies, and capabilities that enable leap-ahead improvements for future tranches of the agency’s Proliferated…

Read Full Story

Space Development Agency Makes Awards to Build 54 Tranche 2 Tracking Layer Satellites

Tranche 2 Tracking Layer includes new prime vendor to produce missile warning/missile tracking and missile defense satellites Date: Jan. 16, 2024 WASHINGTON, D.C. –The Space Development Agency (SDA) today announced the award of three prototype agreements to build 54 satellites to establish the Tranche 2 (T2) Tracking Layer, which will proliferate missile warning/missile tracking (MW/MT)…

Read Full Story

Space Development Agency Makes Third Award to Build 18 Additional Beta Variant Satellites for Tranche 2 Transport Layer

Agency selects new Tranche 2 team member to produce variant of data relay and tactical communication space vehicles Date: Jan. 8, 2024 WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Space Development Agency (SDA) today announced the award of a prototype agreement with a total value of approximately $515 million to build and operate 18 Tranche 2 Transport Layer…

Read Full Story

New SDA Open Topic under Small Business Opportunities

The Space Development Agency (SDA) views small businesses as critical contributors to the performance of research and development supporting national security through space and is soliciting small business participation in the advancement of the Proliferated Warfare Space Architecture. On November 28, SDA announced SDA24-P001 the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) Advanced Capability Development Open Topic…

Read Full Story

Space Development Agency Successfully Completes Space to Ground Transmission from Link 16 Tactical Data Network

Demonstration included active and passive Link 16 network entry, transmitting messages to and from low Earth orbit to terrestrial radios Date: Nov. 28, 2023 WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Space Development Agency (SDA) today announced it successfully demonstrated the first-ever Link 16 network entry through space to ground connection from low Earth orbit (LEO) to a…

Read Full Story
Link 16 is a tactical military data network, used by US and NATO air-, sea- and land-base platforms. (Viasat image.)

SDA gets OK to begin limited testing of data satellites Link 16 nodes

Date: October 26, 2023 | Outlet: Breaking Defense | By: Theresa Hitchens WASHINGTON — The Space Development Agency (SDA) finally can begin testing Link-16 signals from its Transport Layer of data relay satellites in low Earth orbit, having just received approval from a key international regulatory body — although the agency remains caught up in a long-running Defense Department…

Read Full Story