SDA establishing 'intellectual pipeline' for layered space architecture through new BAA

The Space Development Agency is seeking industry input on future architecture concepts and technologies to support the National Defense Space Architecture in a new broad agency announcement released this week.

While SDA's primary mission is to orchestrate a layered space architecture by maturing and rapidly fielding technologies -- with initial capability tranches slated to launch in fiscal year 2022 -- the agency is looking to invest in research and development efforts through a new "systems, technologies and emerging capabilities" BAA that could address future capability needs.

SDA writes in the BAA, dated Jan. 25, that it "recognizes the need to establish an 'intellectual pipeline' to access ideas from across the community to inform the future of the NDSA." The document indicates the call for proposals will be open until January 2022.

"SDA can also make limited but pivotal investments in research and development activities, particularly when the return on those investments can be leveraged in future acquisitions," the agency writes.

Specifically, SDA is interested in capabilities that may lead to "leap-ahead improvements" for future satellite layers or enable whole new layers to address emerging and changing needs. The BAA outlines three focus areas for which it is seeking concepts of operations, modeling and simulation systems, key technology and risk-reduction prototyping work.

Those focus areas include real-time global awareness and connectivity, comprehensive space-based sensing and omniscient command, control and execution.

The global awareness and connectivity focus area aligns with SDA's transport and navigation layers and seeks capabilities like optical intersatellite links, flexible software-defined radios, advanced communications encryption and direct-to-weapon data links.

In the area of space-based sensing, SDA is looking for technologies that would support its tracking, custody and future resilient space sensing layers.

"This vector enables detection, tracking and targeting of adversary systems spanning multiple domains with an emphasis on advanced missile threats and time-critical land and maritime targets," the BAA states. "In addition, this vector spans the range of possible complementary missions with space-based sensors, including but not limited to space-based environmental monitoring, space domain awareness and battle damage assessment."

Specific capabilities include wide-field-of-view overhead persistent infrared technologies, heterogeneous missile-tracking architectures, automatic target recognition and space-based sensors in complementary missions.

Under the command, control and execution focus area, SDA is interested in capabilities that align with the battle management and support layers. Specific capabilities and concepts include cyber defense of space data networks, open interfaces and standards, seamless multilevel security operations and automated schedule optimizing and sensor tasking.