The Space Development Agency will push the launch of its next satellites until late this summer — another setback due to vendor delivery delays.
“With the added challenge of late supplier deliveries, it has become clear additional time is required for system readiness to meet the Tranche 1 minimum viable capability,” the agency said in a statement.
The satellites are part of a mega constellation of data transport and missile tracking spacecraft known as the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. SDA is launching the satellites in what it calls tranches and currently has 27 spacecraft in orbit as part of Tranche 0. Those first systems are meant to prove the viability of the constellation, and Tranche 1 will deliver the first operational capability.
The agency initially planned to start launching the Tranche 1 satellites in September 2024, but has walked back those plans on several occasions because of mounting delays from the companies building those spacecraft. Most recently, SDA was eyeing an April launch date.
Despite the delay, SDA expects to meet its requirement to provide “initial warfighting capability” by early 2027. An SDA official, who was granted anonymity in order to speak freely about the program, told reporters the team has been able to perform some level of validation while the spacecraft are on the ground, which should speed up the on-orbit test timeline.
The agency also has “a little margin and some flexibility” on its test requirements, which could help maintain schedule, the official said.
Tranche 1 is expected to feature 154 operational satellites and four demonstration systems. Of the operational spacecraft, 126 will be part of SDA’s data transport layer and the other 28 will be part of its missile warning and tracking layer.
Once the first Tranche 1 satellites lift off later this year, SDA will kick off a launch campaign targeting one mission per month.
The decision to delay the launch was made my SDA leadership in partnership with the Space Force, the official said. Supply chain issues have been a persistent challenge for the program, and while some hang-ups have been resolved along the way, others, including components like encryption devices and optical communications terminals, have remained.
Speaking at a Defense News conference in September 2024, SDA Director Derek Tournear linked program slow-downs to financial troubles among some SDA vendors who have struggled to scale their manufacturing capacity to meet requirements. That includes California-based Mynaric, which supplies optical terminals to several of the agency’s satellite providers and has struggled to ramp up production.
Tournear said parts of SDA’s vendor base are experiencing “growing pains” as they adapt to the agency’s go-fast approach, which calls for launching new technology on a two-year cycle. The model is built on the idea that over time, firms will adapt to this approach and face fewer supply challenges.
Meanwhile, SDA’s procurement model and its leadership have come under scrutiny in recent months, starting with a Jan. 16 announcement that Tournear had been placed on administrative leave due to an ongoing Air Force Inspector General investigation.
The investigation involves a past contract action that may have violated the Federal Procurement Integrity Act.
Later in January, the Pentagon’s acting acquisition executive ordered a review of SDA’s performance and organizational structure, establishing an independent team to consider schedule and development risks and recommend mitigations to any issues it finds.
In late February, the Government Accountability Office recommended SDA reevaluate its launch plans due to lagging technology maturity, claiming that early satellites haven’t met performance objectives. SDA said in response that while GAO is accurate to say the agency hasn’t demonstrated the “full range” of capabilities, it has met the foundational objectives it set for Tranche 0.
Courtney Albon is C4ISRNET’s space and emerging technology reporter. She has covered the U.S. military since 2012, with a focus on the Air Force and Space Force. She has reported on some of the Defense Department’s most significant acquisition, budget and policy challenges.
