Derek Tournear Explains How Upcoming SDA Satellite Constellation Maintains Resilience

Derek Tournear, the director of the Space Development Agency, recently spoke about how the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture is designed to survive attacks across several domains.

The PWSA is a planned seven-layer satellite constellation meant to provide warfighters with data transport and missile-tracking capabilities. An initial set of 10 spacecraft was sent into orbit aboard a SpaceX rocket on April 2 with subsequent launches planned in the coming months.

Tournear, a past Potomac Officers Club speaker and Wash100 winner, told attendees of the Navy League’s 2023 Sea-Air-Space Conference and Exposition on Monday that the PWSA is inherently resilient to missile attacks because its “hundreds and hundreds of satellites” will outnumber the projectiles used to shoot them down. He added that adversaries could find it difficult to disrupt the constellation because its functions will be spread out at different orbit levels.

According to Tournear, SDA is also taking steps to protect the PWSA from potential cyber and supply chain threats. He shared that resources are being invested in the constellation’s cybersecurity and testing is being conducted to ensure that counterfeit parts are not planted into satellite supply chains, the Department of Defense said.