York Space Systems said it has confirmed the health of 21 satellites that launched July 16 as part of the Space Development Agency’s data transport constellation.
transport layer
The Space Development Agency resumed its Tranche 1 launch effort July 16, sending 21 data transport satellites to continue building out a mesh network in low-Earth orbit.
The Space Force plans to expand the scope of its data transport constellation in the next few years, kick-starting a competition to bring on new commercial capabilities and procuring nine launches in fiscal 2027 to support the hybrid satellite communications network.
The new Space Force budget request omits funding for future tranches of the Space Development Agency’s data transport layer, teeing up a potential debate in Congress about the future of the organization and the service’s plan for managing both tactical and enterprise communication needs.
The Space Development Agency launched its first two batches of operational satellites last fall in what was supposed to be the start of a 10-month campaign to populate its proliferated data transport and missile tracking constellation. Six months later, the agency and its vendors have ...
The Space Development Agency is shelling out $30 million to see how it can use a commercial satellite network for tactical communications. The contract award to AST SpaceMobile, announced Feb. 23, is the agency's first use of a vendor pool meant for demonstration and experimentation ...
The final version of the fiscal 2026 defense policy bill calls for adding $1.2 billion to the Space Force’s research and development accounts, an increase that’s mostly split between two efforts: expanding the service’s low-Earth orbit data transport network and boosting its space-based missile warning ...
Defense Department officials are engaged in “active debate” over the future of the Space Force’s data transport architecture and hope to have a decision on the way ahead in time for the fiscal 2027 budget’s release next year.
The long-term future of one of the Space Development Agency’s two satellite constellations is on hold as officials study the options for replacing a planned “data transport layer” with one or more commercial solutions. President Trump’s proposed 2026 defense budget...
Derek M. Tournear, the director of the trailblazing Space Development Agency who was put on administrative leave in January amid an investigation into a disputed contract, will return to his duties April 17, the Department of the Air Force announced.
The Space Development Agency will start launching its next batch of satellites in March or April 2025, six months later than originally planned, but director Derek Tournear suggested he may try to increase the pace of launches after that to get back on schedule.
The Space Development Agency isn’t slowing down anytime soon. On Oct. 2, the organization released a notice to industry outlining its plans for a busy 2025 on the acquisition front, as it will look to procure around 200 satellites from different solicitations for Tranche 3 of ...