Following a nine-month hiatus, the Space Development Agency (SDA) is set to resume satellite launches for its expansive military communications constellation, even as proposed legislation threatens the agency’s independent status.
The SDA is scheduled to deploy its next 21 Tranche 1 satellites this Thursday via a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base. These payloads are critical components of the data-transport layer within the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, a massive network of low-Earth-orbit satellites designed for space-based military communications and threat detection. After the initial two batches were deployed last fall, the SDA suspended further launches to address technical complications.
“We encountered software and hardware issues with the satellites currently in orbit,” SDA Director Gurpartap Sandhoo informed reporters on Wednesday. “We implemented a pause to ensure those known issues were resolved. We anticipate this upcoming launch will be significantly more seamless than previous missions.”
Sandhoo noted that following Thursday’s mission, approximately half of the transport layer’s required satellites will be operational. Deployment for the subsequent phase, designated as Tranche 2, is projected to begin in fiscal year 2027.
Despite previous setbacks, Sandhoo maintained that the agency is now “in a better place in terms of schedule.”
However, the agency’s future as an autonomous entity remains uncertain. A draft of the National Defense Authorization Act proposes absorbing the SDA and its authorities into the Space Force’s portfolio acquisition executive office.
While Sandhoo acknowledged that SDA personnel may harbor “some concerns” regarding the draft language, he emphasized that the workforce remains “here for the mission” and dedicated to completing the architecture.
The program has also faced persistent scrutiny from government oversight bodies regarding its core technology.
Last year, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) expressed reservations concerning the constellation’s laser-communications technology, stating it “hasn’t fully demonstrated that it works in space.” The SDA contested these findings, asserting that its testing has met “baseline objectives.”
In January, the GAO issued further warnings, suggesting the SDA program “is at risk of being unable to deliver capability as quickly as planned” and advising the agency to maintain greater transparency and realism regarding its technological deliverables.
Sandhoo defended the agency’s approach, arguing that calculated risks are essential to delivering vital space-based capabilities to military personnel.
“I would want you to look back at the Apollo program. You didn’t wait for Apollo 8 to land before you started building Apollo 9; you simply had to proceed,” Sandhoo remarked. “That is the mindset we are adopting, and it is the mindset I believe the nation requires right now.”
