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The Space Development Agency is allocating $30 million to investigate the potential application of a commercial satellite system for strategic communications.
The agreement, granted to AST SpaceMobile and publicly disclosed on February 23rd, signifies the agency’s inaugural utilization of a designated supplier group for exploratory and trial agreements, termed Hybrid Acquisition for Proliferated Low Earth Orbit, or HALO.
AST, established in 2019, is constructing a constellation of wideband satellites named BlueBird. It currently operates six spacecraft in low-Earth orbit and intends to deploy between 45 and 60 satellites within the current year. For SDA, the enterprise will showcase its capability to merge its BlueBird spacecraft with tactical military radio systems.
“Via a sequence of in-space trials, the initiative aims to confirm smooth incorporation with present tactical military radio equipment and illustrate how commercial satellite frameworks can be swiftly deployed for defense uses, providing data offerings as a service to the Space Development Agency,” the firm declared in an announcement.
AST and SDA did not specify the commencement date for these trials, but affirmed their conclusion by December 2027.
The Space Development Agency is actively engaged in crafting a versatile constellation in low-Earth orbit, known as the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. A segment of this constellation, designated the Transport Layer, concentrates on data transmission and communication provision.
The trial agreement with AST will enable SDA to evaluate innovations it might deploy on upcoming Transport Layer satellites. This constitutes the rationale behind HALO’s formation in 2024, at which point SDA selected 19 corporations to contend for agreements to execute swift in-space proofs of technologies or conceptual ideas.
The arrangement with AST SpaceMobile marks SDA’s initial HALO grant, though a representative indicated that further agreements are anticipated.
“We are presently utilizing commercial remedies to swiftly showcase mission effectiveness, mitigate hazards for the operational components of subsequent PWSA segments, and hasten the provision of advanced capacities to military personnel,” stated Gurpartap Sandhoo, SDA’s interim director, in an announcement on February 23rd.
Nevertheless, the Transport Layer will probably constitute merely one element of the Space Force’s forthcoming transport framework. The service remains in the process of ascertaining the optimal method for incorporating commercial SATCOM functionalities, and the agreement with AST might conceivably assist in those endeavors as well.
A different unresolved inquiry pertains to how SDA’s constellation will operate alongside a less prominent satellite system named MILNET, which the service co-developed with the National Reconnaissance Office. SpaceX is rumored to be the exclusive MILNET provider, yet defense authorities have indicated that the intention is for numerous firms to supply satellites and terrestrial terminals.
The service’s financial year 2026 budget submission temporarily suspended long-range objectives for SDA’s data transit layer, and eliminated allocations for Tranche 3, thereby impeding intentions to invite bids for the satellites in 2025. Space Force executives have expressed their desire to finalize a robust strategy for data transfer prior to the unveiling of the financial year 2027 budget this spring.
The auditory content accompanying this piece is presented courtesy of the Air & Space Forces Association, dedicated to revering and assisting our Airmen, Guardians, and their loved ones. Discover further information at afa.org