SDA Seeks Industry Input for Tranche 1 Acquisition Process

The Space Development Agency is conducting market research to inform how it should acquire Tranche 1 capabilities for the multi-layer National Defense Space Architecture.

In addition to procuring satellites for Tranche 1, the SDA seeks supplementary constellation management and subnetwork management systems, as well as launch, checkout and early operations support, transition operational support and on-site personnel training services.

The agency is considering awarding firm-fixed-price contracts under a full and open Federal Acquisition Regulation-based acquisition process, according to a request for information posted on SAM .gov.

Approximately 150 satellites will be purchased for Tranche 1. These satellites will make up the NSDA’s Transport Layer and are scheduled for launch in 2024.

SDA hopes to provide initial warfighting capability through the Tranche 1 Transport Layer constellation.

T1TL satellites are expected to support the transport backbone of the military’s Joint All Domain Command and Control architecture. They are also envisioned to enable low-latency sensor-to-shooter connectivity and direct-to-weapon connectivity.

The T1TL constellation will feature a homogeneous design, meaning the satellites will be developed and manufactured by multiple vendors.

Considering the constellation’s intended design, SDA wants to make sure that the satellites it will procure from different vendors will be interoperable with one another.

SDA Director Derek Tournear said a request for proposals will be released in August to kickstart the procurement process. The number of vendors for the procurement will be based on the bids submitted, he said.

The agency is also preparing to deploy space capabilities for the preceding Tranche 0 constellation. The initial 28 satellites acquired for Tranche 0 are scheduled for launch in late 2022.