The Space Development Agency is single-mindedly focused on delivering space-based capabilities to the warfighter. It accomplishes this goal through a dual capability approach. The first capability is line of sight targeting, which is concerned with detecting, tracking and calculating a firing solution for targets like mobile missile launchers or ships — all of which is sent down from space, in close to real-time.
The second capability area, according to the agency’s director, Dr. Derek Tournear, is predicated on the same mission but with a different target: advanced missiles in flight, such as hypersonic glide vehicles. Dr. Tournear delivered his remarks in a keynote address at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Space Summit on Tuesday.
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As has been much publicized, the SDA is engaged in a protracted timeline of launches and capability demonstrations through its multi-part tranche series, which aims to erect a Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. The agency successfully demonstrated Tranche 0 last year and aims to complete Tranche 1 by 2025 — each launch is two years apart, which he said is somewhat controversial within the broader Department of Defense.
“Every two years, by hook or by crook, we’re going to launch these satellites. We’re going to have these new solicitations and competitions with each of these spirals,” he said, adding, “That’s something that not everyone’s on board with yet. We need to demonstrate that through a few more spirals before people really understand that, yes, this is the way of the future; that is key to making sure that this whole model is successful.”
The way to ensure more widespread acceptance of his plan is to continually encourage vendor competition with each tranche. Some government officials, Dr. Tournear said, have wondered why it wouldn’t just be best to stick with one contractor for all of the tranches and scalable technologies utilized within.
This, however, is not how capitalism works — the SDA director asserts that preventing “vendor lock” will result in keeping the price of the satellites stable and the quality of the tech always first-rate.
“My goal is to keep the prices essentially constant, but drive the capabilities up,” Dr. Tournear stated.
