For the last few years, through a little-known program called Kronos, the Space Force has been consolidating and modernizing its suite of legacy systems that provide satellite operators with intelligence tools and command-and-control capabilities.
Now, USSF is reaching out to commercial firms to prototype and integrate new battle management tools on a faster and more continuous cadence to match the growing threats in orbit.
In a Nov. 12 commercial solutions opening, the Space Force said it is looking for a “broad range of solutions” across three areas: command and control, battle management, and space intelligence. These include advanced cloud-native services and infrastructure, AI decision support tools, and a “space attack planning toolkit” meant to improve coordination between tactical and operational units and speed up decision-making processes.
The goal, according to a Space Systems Command spokesperson, is to “rapidly bring commercial innovation” to the existing Kronos suite, which is being used today by the National Space Defense Center, Space Force component commands, and the multinational Combined Space Operations Center. SSC declined to name specific companies involved with the effort but said the vendor list includes “a broad mix of industry partners,” some with more traditional defense backgrounds and some newer to the scene.
The effort aligns with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s newly released acquisition reforms, SSC said, including his push for the Pentagon to “embrace the 85 percent solution” and field operational capabilities to users in the field at a faster pace.
“It allows the program to continuously incorporate emerging technologies, keep pace with evolving threats, and deliver the data-driven capabilities operators need across the Space Force,” the spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine. “The CSO operationalizes the department’s shift toward faster, commercially driven acquisition to deliver mission capabilities to our Guardians in a contested domain.”
The U.S. military in recent years has shifted from viewing space as a benign environment to a warfighting domain, a transformation driven largely by increased threats from spacefaring adversaries like China and Russia. Space Force officials have stressed that having an integrated battle management capability is required in order to operate in that environment. That’s especially true for major initiatives like the Golden Dome missile shield, which will require a seamless C2 network to protect the U.S.
Kronos plays a key role in the battle management mission, SSC said. The program is part of SSC’s Battle Management/Command, Control, Communications and Space Intelligence portfolio, which is part of the newly formed System Delta 85. The Space Force is using DOD’s Software Acquisition Pathway to acquire new capabilities, an acquisition approach created to streamline software procurement by incorporating commercial buying practices.
“The Kronos program supports this mission by consolidating legacy systems into a modern, integrated software suite that strengthens decision-making, accelerates planning and deconfliction, enhances targeting and intelligence workflows, and provides shared situational awareness across combatant commands,” the spokesperson said. “The Kronos program is modernizing how the Space Force commands and conducts operations in a contested space environment.”
