Military Space: Proliferated LEO’s ground game

Plus: The growing role of in-space propulsion in military programs

 ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

09/29/2026 READ IN BROWSER Don't let a key development catch you off guard. Subscribe by Oct. 1 to take advantage of our current rates, from less than $5/week. Get access now. Special rates available: Academic | Government | Military | Company-Wide Access By Sandra Erwin Welcome to SpaceNews' Military Space, your source for the latest developments at the intersection of space and national security. In this week's edition: The Space Development Agency contracting activity is also happening on the ground. Plus, the hiring of an Agile Space executive points to the growing importance of in-space propulsion, and maneuverable GEO satellite services procurement is pushed to 2027. If someone forwarded you this edition, sign up to receive it in your inbox every Tuesday. We welcome your feedback and suggestions. You can hit reply or DM me on Signal @SandraErwin.43. 📲  Download the SpaceNews mobile app SpaceX is reportedly restricting future commercial access to Falcon 9. This has become a growing concern in the small-satellite industry that uses the Transporter rideshare program. SpaceX has not publicly set a Falcon 9 retirement date and the transition depends on its next-generation Starship reaching a high operational cadence. Seen here is a Falcon 9 launching a Space Force classified mission USSF-385 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, Sept 26. Credit: SpaceX. Credit: SpaceX Ground game: New efforts by SDA to make proliferated LEO actually work Most of the attention around the Space Development Agency’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture has gone to the satellites, as spacecraft from multiple manufacturers are launched in successive tranches to track missiles and move military data through low Earth orbit. But much of contracting activity is also happening on the ground. SDA this month opened a competition worth as much as $369 million to build and upgrade a globally distributed network of ground entry points, the gateways that connect its satellites to terrestrial military networks. Days later, the agency began market research for Peregrine Sentry, a separate effort to overhaul the software architecture that ties together the broader PWSA ground system.  Together, these procurements show the scale of the infrastructure required to turn a collection of satellites from different contractors into one operational military network. The hardware piece is the Ground Entry Points, or GEPs. SDA’s Sept. 18 solicitation calls for multiple sites around the world equipped with radio-frequency antennas, optical communications terminals, networking equipment, communications shelters and the software needed to connect them. SDA envisions five to eight new GEP locations and upgrades to one to four existing sites. The system must accommodate at least six spacecraft vendors across 12 orbital planes, illustrating the integration challenge built into the proliferated architecture.  A different layer of the problem SDA said Sept. 23 that it wants to evolve its existing ground segment into a modular, open architecture with a common software-development environment. The eventual contractor would serve as the lead platform integrator, bringing applications from different developers onto a common framework and managing the software ecosystem that supports the missile-warning mission.  General Dynamics Mission Systems and Iridium won a $324.5 million award in 2022 to establish the Tranche 1 ground operations and integration segment, including operations centers and ground entry points. SDA followed in 2024 with a $491.6 million expansion of the ground architecture. The GEP competition adds another ceiling of $369 million, while the eventual value of Peregrine Sentry has not been disclosed. The satellites are the most visible part of proliferated LEO, but a major challenge remains in making spacecraft, sensors, laser links, software and military networks built by different companies behave as one system. FROM SPACENEWS Where do space investors see the biggest opportunities? SpaceNews has mapped the ranks of private space firms valued at $1 billion or more, capturing 37 companies working in launch and satellite broadband, Earth observation, space stations, orbital data centers and other promising markets. Drawing on public disclosures, original reporting and other sources, each profile tracks when and how a company achieved unicorn status and its latest known valuation, alongside funding-round breakdowns and total capital raised from BryceTech’s Startup Space database. Download the report. Space Force delays $900 million maneuverable satellite services deal to 2027 The Space Force is pushing back a planned procurement of commercial communications from maneuverable satellites into 2027, extending a series of delays for a program that could be worth as much as $900 million. Space Systems Command’s Commercial Satellite Communications Office now expects to solicit proposals in October for its Maneuverable Geosynchronous Orbit satellite-services program, or MGEO, and make an award in April 2027, according to its latest forecast to industry. The indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract is expected to have a potential value of $700 million to $900 million over 10 years. The MGEO program has been in the works for several years. Planning documents last year targeted an award in June 2026, after an earlier schedule envisioned an award in July 2025. The new target is April 2027. MGEO is intended to take advantage of the smaller geostationary satellite marketplace, sometimes called small GEO or micro-GEO spacecraft. Compared to traditional communications satellites in GEO, these newer spacecraft are smaller, less expensive and designed to be produced and launched more quickly.  Buying communications capacity as a service  The MGEO model differs from the Space Force’s Protected Tactical Satcom-Global program, or PTS-G, which also pursuing smaller, maneuverable satellites in geosynchronous orbit.  PTS-G is a government-owned architecture that is tapping commercial spacecraft designs and manufacturing. The Space Force awarded Viasat and SES contracts totaling $437.7 million in June to produce its first two operational satellites. CSCO’s latest procurement forecast identifies six anticipated competitions over the next 12 months with combined potential lifecycle values of roughly $1 billion to $1.3 billion. Those are multiyear contract values, not projected annual spending, and MGEO alone accounts for roughly 70% of the total.  CSCO plans a $45 million to $55 million agreement for global airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations that calls for managed Ku- and Ka-band services with multi-orbit and multi-band coverage. Air Forces Central, meanwhile, is expected to procure Ku-band capacity distributed across two to four satellites for ISR operations under a contract valued at $200 million to $210 million. Traditional commercial SATCOM remains part of the mix. Other requirements cover Iridium equipment and provisioning, enterprise communications and continued Viasat Ku-band services for the Air Force’s 55th Electronic Combat Group.  The forecast does not include buys under the Proliferated Low Earth Orbit Satellite-Based Services IDIQ, known as PLEO, a contracting vehicle focused on LEO constellations with a $13 billion ceiling.  Agile Space taps Lockheed veteran as propulsion takes bigger role in military space Spacecraft propulsion is becoming a more important part of national security missions as the U.S. Space Force looks beyond satellites that largely remain in fixed orbits toward vehicles capable of maneuvering in response to threats and changing operational needs. As satellites are expected to maneuver more, propulsion is becoming less of a commodity subsystem and more of a strategic capability. That shift is shaping companies such as Agile Space Industries, a Durango, Colorado-based supplier of chemical propulsion systems that hired longtime Lockheed Martin executive Jason Wright as president. Agile specializes in chemical propulsion systems for spacecraft operating in orbit and on deep-space missions. Its hypergolic systems use propellants that ignite on contact, eliminating the need for a separate ignition system and allowing engines to restart repeatedly. The Space Force's Victus Haze tactically responsive space demonstration this year was an example of how the military would employ maneuverable vehicles. Two commercially developed spacecraft conducted rendezvous and proximity operations, including a scenario in which one vehicle maneuvered away while the other pursued it. Agile has positioned itself as a supplier to that market. In 2024, True Anomaly selected the company to provide propulsion for a highly maneuverable variant of its Jackal spacecraft associated with Victus Haze. Wright spent more than 26 years at Lockheed Martin, starting as a propulsion engineer and later moving into management roles. His appointment also comes as the propulsion sector is undergoing consolidation. Agile remains an independent supplier at a time when several adjacent companies have been absorbed into larger spacecraft and defense businesses. York Space Systems acquired electric propulsion supplier Orbion Space Technology in March, while Voyager Technologies bought ExoTerra Resource in 2025. Satellite manufacturer Apex and spacecraft developer Quantum Space separately acquired propulsion technologies from Phase Four last year. SpaceNews' latest national security coverage Northrop Grumman delivers 21 data-relay satellites for military constellation Space Force opens new competition for satellite-control antennas U.S. secures authority for Golden Dome missile defense in Greenland Space Force exploring standby fleet of rapid-response satellites Aerospacelab to supply satellite platforms to Lockheed Martin KBR taps veteran defense executive to lead Trinzic spinoff Missile-tracking constellations advance in low and medium Earth orbit Space Force to put commercial satellite servicing to the test in 2027 Business group puts markers down for Space Force acquisition overhaul Space Force orders Mira vehicle from Impulse Space for surveillance mission 📨 Don't miss what's next. Sign up for other SpaceNews newsletters: SpaceNews Mission Brief: Orbital Data Centers: A series explaining the latest developments in the rapid race to conceive, finance, develop and launch the future of on-orbit computing. Europe Report: Tracking the policy landscape, investment climate and regional priorities driving Europe’s space ambitions. First Up: Every weekday morning, Jeff Foust delivers the day's most important industry headlines. China Report: Biweekly news and analysis from correspondent Andrew Jones on business, politics and technology in the Chinese space industry. SpaceNews Mission Brief: Golden Dome: Explaining the Golden Dome initiative and what it means for the space industry. Editor’s Choice: Our most important recent stories you may have missed, with background and insights from editors, reporters and contributors. Opinions: A weekly digest of the latest commentary and analysis. SpaceNews This Week: The week’s top headlines and our conference coverage. Subscribe to SpaceNews This email has been sent to generalastronomy110.stnirp@blogger.com because you previously opted in to receive Military Space from SpaceNews. Unsubscribe here. Sign up for other SpaceNews newsletters.  This email has been sent to generalastronomy110.stnirp@blogger.com because you previously opted in to receive Military Space from SpaceNews. Unsubscribe here, or you can manage your email preferences. Sign up for other SpaceNews newsletters.  SpaceNews.com  |  Advertise with SpaceNews Contact us  |  Privacy policy  |  Terms and conditions SpaceNews.com  |  Advertise with SpaceNews  |  Contact us  |  Privacy policy  |  Terms and conditions © 2026, SpaceNews, 100 Fillmore Street, 5th Floor, Denver, CO 80206, United States