Tuesday, June 4, 2024

SDA courts satellite vendors for space experiments

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National security insights for space professionals. Delivered Tuesdays.

In this week's edition:

• SDA looks to attract new satellite vendors

• A growing market for satellites that monitor electronic signals

• Startup Ursa Major developing new rocket engine with AFRL funding

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Today's highlights:

Boeing and United Launch Alliance are preparing for a third launch attempt of Starliner after a weekend scrub. The inaugural crewed launch of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft carrying NASA astronauts is now scheduled for Wednesday. A computer issue halted the countdown less than four minutes before liftoff on Saturday.

Space Development Agency (SDA) opens the door for commercial players with the HALO program.

The SDA is inviting commercial space companies to try their hand at rapid prototyping and flight demos.
Through its new "Hybrid Acquisition for Proliferated LEO" (HALO) program, the agency aims to establish a pool of pre-approved vendors eligible to compete for upcoming prototype projects.

While traditional defense primes have dominated SDA's contracts for its planned military LEO constellation, HALO is designed to attract new commercial players.

Selected companies will get a chance to gain valuable experience working on experimental SDA projects and mature their technologies.
SDA plans to award multiple HALO contracts annually, with proposals for the first round due July 11. An industry briefing is scheduled for June 17.

Tracking electronic signals from space — known as radio frequency (RF) monitoring — is changing the game in surveillance and intelligence gathering.

The once highly-classified capability to detect and geolocate radio frequency (RF) signals from space is rapidly transitioning to the commercial sector.
Companies like HawkEye 360 are fielding constellations of shoebox-sized satellites that can track ships, aircraft, and other emitters, providing intelligence on "dark" targets evading traditional detection.

As retired Adm. James Winnefeld, HawkEye 360 board member, puts it: "We're only scratching the surface of what's possible."

Beyond maritime applications, a new frontier is emerging in monitoring land-based RF signals emitted by GPS, communications devices and more. "You're going to see more RF processing capability, more frequency coverage, more sensitivity," Winnefeld says.

U.S. firms aren't alone in this space. European startups like Aerospacelab and Unseenlabs are capitalizing on democratized access to space tech, unveiling ambitious plans for advanced RF monitoring satellites and data analytics.
Meanwhile, SAR operators like Capella and Iceye are rolling out their own maritime intelligence services to detect "dark vessels."

Winnefeld highlights the value of fusing disparate data sources through "tipping and cueing" approaches that leverage the strengths of different sensing phenomenologies. But he warns that lack of awareness and rigid procurement processes could hinder government adoption of these emerging commercial capabilities.

In other news 🚀

The Spaceport Company, a startup working to create mobile sea-based rocket launch pads, landed a $2.5 million contract from the Defense Innovation Unit.

The award will help fund the development of a prototype ocean-going launch complex built on a repurposed Navy torpedo recovery vessel. It's part of a new DIU program called Novel Responsive Space Delivery aimed at making U.S. access to space more resilient.

Ursa Major announced it successfully completed ground tests of a new liquid rocket engine being developed with U.S. Air Force funding.

The hot-fire tests of the Draper engine, performed at the company's facilities in Berthoud, Colorado, validated the basic design, the company said.

A hot fire is just one step in the development process and many more tests will need to be performed with multiple engines before Draper is ready for flight.

ThinkOrbital later this year will attempt to demonstrate a robotic arm in space equipped with a welder gun that could be used to repair and take X-ray images of satellites.

The company is building on the momentum of its recent autonomous welding experiment that flew as a payload aboard a SpaceX Starlink mission.

The X-ray capability has piqued the interest of the U.S. military as a possible way to identify potential threats in orbit.

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