Space Procurement Chief Affirms Commitment to Acquisition Reforms

Frank Calvelli, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition and integration, affirmed at Aviation Week’s Aerospace & Defense Programs conference his commitment to space technology acquisition reforms he introduced in 2022. The procurement chief’s confidence comes after industry stakeholders extended support and aligned operations to his vision.

In an October 2022 memo, Calvelli introduced nine space acquisition tenets to initiate change in satellite and space systems procurement. In a roundtable discussion in December, he said that the document serves as a guide for the Department of Defense to catch up with the rapid pace of space technology acquisition and integration.

A year after introducing the reforms, he said he would double down on the tenets to address more issues affecting procurement efforts, SpaceNews reported Tuesday.

While Calvelli is committed to his reforms, the Space Force is still experiencing delays in the rollout of its major programs. Among the initiatives experiencing delays are the Next-Generation Operational Control Segment ground system for GPS satellites, which was pushed back to June 2024, and the Advance Tracking and Launch Analysis System, which will not be operational until August 2024.