08/05/2025

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By Sandra Erwin

Welcome to this week's edition of SpaceNews' Military Space, your source for the latest developments at the intersection of space and national security. In this week's edition: Senate appropriators buck Trump on LEO satellites and Golden Dome's data integration challenge

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The U.S. Space Force last week announced a new upgrade to the Ground-Based Optical Sensor System at the Ground-based Electro-Optical Deep Space Surveillance site in White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. This image shows the GEODSS facility, which is operated by the 15th Space Surveillance Squadron at the White Sands Missile Range. Credit: U.S Space Force

Senate appropriators serve up a budget battle over SDA satellites

The Senate Appropriations Committee has thrown a lifeline to the Space Development Agency's satellite program, approving $500 million to secure Tranche 3 of the Transport Layer — a move that sets up a political fight over the Pentagon's future in low Earth orbit.

In a 26-3 vote last week, the committee approved a $852.5 billion fiscal year 2026 defense spending bill — $21.7 billion more than the Pentagon's base request. The Senate measure diverges from the House's more restrained version, leading to an inter-chamber clash this fall.

Notably, Senate appropriators rejected the Trump administration's proposal to suspend funding for SDA's Tranche 3 Transport Layer, a portion of the Space Development Agency's Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. The administration said it wants to consider other options, such as replacing the SDA's satellite mesh with MILNET, a SpaceX-built constellation leveraging Starshield technology.

That move sparked bipartisan backlash, with lawmakers warning it would shift billions away from a competitive procurement environment and leave the Space Force reliant on a single vendor's proprietary system.
"Protecting competition" was the committee's stated reason for restoring Tranche 3 funds.
The PWSA is envisioned as a resilient network of hundreds of satellites in low Earth orbit that can communicate with each other and track missiles. The program has been structured around regular competitive procurements, with different "tranches" or batches of satellites awarded to various contractors to maintain competition.

The Space Force's discretionary topline in the SAC bill holds steady at $26 billion — matching the administration's request but down from previous years. An extra $13.8 billion in mandatory funds, passed via reconciliation in July, brings total Space Force funding to nearly $40 billion.

Elsewhere in the SAC bill:

Commercial imagery providers get a $199 million boost — $105 million more than the White House request — with lawmakers rebuffing Trump's proposed cuts and citing demand for tactical ISR.
Space launch infrastructure included a $45 million plus-up to expand launch capacity and geographic diversity.

The bill heads to the full Senate after the August recess. With government funding set to expire Sept. 30, lawmakers face pressure to avoid a continuing resolution — though analysts view that as the most likely path to avert a shutdown.

Lockheed Martin eyes 2028 for orbital missile defense demonstration

Defense giant Lockheed Martin announced plans to demonstrate missile interceptors in orbit by 2028 as part of President Trump's Golden Dome homeland defense initiative.

What's happening: Lockheed executives told reporters Monday at the company's facilities in Huntsville, Alabama that they're aiming for an on-orbit demonstration of space-based interceptors within three years, aligning with the administration's timeline for initial Golden Dome capabilities.

"We'll be ready to support an on-orbit demonstration by 2028," said Amanda Pound, director of space mission strategy and advanced capabilities at Lockheed Martin.

The big picture: Golden Dome represents a shift from current U.S. missile defense, which primarily protects forward-deployed forces rather than the continental homeland. Trump's executive order directing the Defense Department to pursue the program specifically calls for space-based interceptors as a cornerstone.

What we don't know: Pound declined to specify whether Lockheed's concept would use kinetic "hit-to-kill" technology or directed-energy laser systems, saying detailed tech discussions would be "premature" until the government releases architectural requirements.

"We're looking forward to the architecture coming out soon, and to understand more of what they need for space based interceptor capability," Pound said.

Why space matters here: The appeal is boost-phase interception — hitting missiles seconds after launch from enemy territory. Orbital positioning creates what proponents call a first line of defense that can respond within seconds from anywhere above the globe, potentially faster than ground or sea alternatives.

The integration nightmare: Industry executives and experts identified Golden Dome's command-and-control requirements as unprecedented in scope. The system must integrate data from orbiting satellites, ground radars and sea sensors to detect launches globally, then assign optimal interceptors within seconds.

"Golden Dome for America is a challenge unlike anything attempted at this scale or on this timeline," said Thad Beckert, Lockheed's director of strategy and business development for rotary and mission systems.

Hedging bets: Dan Nimblett, Lockheed's VP of layered homeland defense, said the company isn't proposing specific solutions yet but is positioning its existing missile defense portfolio — radars, sensors, command systems, interceptors, and early warning satellites — as building blocks.

Testing ground: To tackle integration challenges, Lockheed set up a Golden Dome prototyping environment at its modeling center in Suffolk, Virginia. "We've built an environment where multiple companies can come together and collaborate," Beckert said, noting the facility will be "open to industry" for traditional and non-traditional defense partners.

What's next: All eyes are on the Defense Department for the release of the Golden Dome architecture. The program manager, Gen. Michael Guetlein, said his office is working on a proposed architecture that will be presented to the secretary of defense in about 60 days.

More on Golden Dome's data challenge

Golden Dome faces data integration challenges that could prove more complex than the hardware itself. During a SpaceNews panel last week, industry leaders called for AI-enabled solutions to address data challenges.

Waiting for specifics: The program's overall scope remains fluid. Patrick Biltgen of Booz Allen Hamilton highlighted the critical question: "Is it to protect the homeland, provide tactical capabilities or does it also do hypersonics over the ocean?" The answer fundamentally shifts cost, timeline and technology requirements — continental defense versus global tactical coverage represent vastly different propositions.

Role of AI: Artificial intelligence could be key to Golden Dome's success, particularly in command and control operations. L3Harris' Rob Mitrevski noted AI's importance for "prioritizing which targets with which interceptors" in compressed timeframes, especially crucial for hypersonic threats where "the human is the weak point in the loop."

Security concerns: The government may need proprietary AI models rather than open-source alternatives to maintain operational ambiguity against adversaries. "Golden Dome is all about ambiguity," Biltgen explained, emphasizing that uncertainty about interceptor positioning deters attacks.

Data integration: Arcfield's Dan Knight identified data management as central: "We have the information or data that we need. It's just not in the right places." The challenge lies in architecting existing capabilities through model-based systems engineering while building future capacity.

Workforce gap: Executives said university collaboration is needed to address significant AI talent shortages in defense applications.

What's next: Industry will hear from DoD at the Aug. 7 Golden Dome Industry Summit in Huntsville, Alabama. Guetlein's team is expected to define program parameters and seek creative solutions from the private sector.

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