Printed from https://fiscalreceipts.com/program/1206410SF/ — data as of July 28, 2026. Every figure is citation-backed; see the page online for per-number provenance.
Space Technology Development and Prototyping
Budget Figures
FY2026 award data is a partial year — USASpending awards are reported on a rolling basis and the fiscal year does not close until September 30. why partial FY2026 data? →
- FY24
- $1.98B
- FY25
- $1.61B
- FY26
- $1.31B
● actuals (line) · ○ enacted · ◇ request — gaps are editions the program is absent from, never interpolated.
| Series | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 | FY26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actuals | $0 | $0 | $979.4M | $1.98B | ||
| Enacted | – | $0 | $1.02B | $2.08B | $1.61B | |
| Request | – | – | $986.8M | $2.08B | $1.70B | $1.31B |
blank = series not published for this year; – = absent from that edition.
Asked vs spent: the PB2024 book requested $2.08B for FY2024; the PB2026 book reports $1.98B actually spent — $99.1M below the request.
Program Lineage
No predecessor/successor lineage was recorded for this program element — no FY-to-FY transfer into or out of this line was stated in the ingested J-books, and none was inferred from the program structure.
Description
Mission — Sensing
SDA is developing and demonstrating next generation space capabilities for the joint warfighter enabled by proliferation of satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and a new acquisition model utilizing rapid spiral development. SDA is developing capabilities to address a wide range of Department of Defense (DoD) space needs as stated in the National Defense Strategy and DoD Space Vision, including advanced missile tracking and global surveillance enabling beyond-line-of-sight targeting. SDA will orchestrate the rapid development and fielding of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA), a resilient military sensing and data transport capability via a proliferated space architecture in LEO. This program element funds the development and demonstration of space technologies to deliver advanced missile tracking, global surveillance and surface moving target custody, and enhanced space domain awareness and deterrence capabilities to U.S. joint warfighting forces in bi-annual tranches, which began in FY 2022.
Mission — Transport
SDA is developing and demonstrating next generation space capabilities for the joint warfighter enabled by proliferation of satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and a new acquisition model utilizing rapid spiral development. SDA is developing capabilities to address a wide range of Department of Defense (DoD) space needs as stated in the National Defense Strategy and DoD Space Vision, including low-latency tactical communication enabling beyond line of sight targeting and advanced missile tracking. SDA is orchestrating the rapid development and fielding of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA), a resilient military sensing and data transport capability via a proliferated space architecture in LEO. This program element funds the development and demonstration of space technologies to deliver low- latency data transport and alternate position, navigation, and timing capabilities to U.S. joint warfighting forces in bi-annual tranches, which began in FY 2022.
Mission — Integration and Battle Management
SDA is developing and demonstrating next generation space capabilities for the joint warfighter enabled by proliferation of satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and a new acquisition model utilizing rapid spiral development. SDA is developing capabilities to address a wide range of Department of Defense (DoD) space needs as stated in the National Defense Strategy and DoD Space Vision, including space-based battle management and a ground support infrastructure. SDA will orchestrate the rapid development and fielding of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA), a resilient military sensing and data transport capability via a proliferated space architecture in LEO. This program element funds the development and demonstration of space technologies to deliver space-based command and control, tasking, mission processing and dissemination capabilities, as well as an integrated, resilient network of ground support capabilities, to U.S. joint warfighting forces in bi-annual tranches, which began in FY 2022.
Mission — Space Technology Development and Prototyping
SDA is responsible for developing and demonstrating the next generation proliferated warfighter space architecture to enable U.S. military operations to be responsive to emerging multi-domain threats against our national security. To achieve that goal, SDA will help inform the Department of Defense (DoD)'s decision to develop and implement a proliferated architecture enabled by lower-cost, mass-produced space vehicles and routine space access; and shift the DoD to a development organization focused on experimentation, prototyping, and accelerated fielding. SDA will manage, direct, and execute the development of the space capabilities for the joint warfighter in accordance with DoD's Space Vision and field space capabilities at speed and scale, with the following goals: • Bold breakthroughs designed to out-pace our competitors, • Mission-focused technology maturation and systems engineering, • Value-based lean engineering, manufacturing, and support, • Warfighter-centric capability development enabling joint all-domain operations, • Industrial base expansion; streamlined development and acquisition processes, and • Increased acquisition cooperation across the space enterprise. SDA will rapidly deploy critical elements of next-generation space capabilities, initially focusing on these essential capabilities: • Indications, warnings, targeting, and tracking for defense against hypersonic and advanced missile threats, • Alternate position, navigation, and timing (APNT) for a navigation warfare (NAVWAR) resilient environment, • Responsive, resilient, common ground-based space support infrastructure (e.g., optical and radio frequency (RF) ground stations and commercially-oriented satellite operations centers), • Cross-domain, networked, node-independent battle management command, control, and communications (BMC3), and • Highly-scaled, low-latency, persistent, resilient proliferated Low Earth Orbit (LEO) space data transport. The establishment of a proliferated data Transport Layer in LEO is essential to developing a new, responsive space architecture, and will be SDA's primary initial focus within the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA). SDA will develop an initial set of adjunct and sub-constellations in conjunction with this Transport Layer to provide additional capabilities, such as advanced missile warning and tactical satellite communications. This program element funds efforts to develop and demonstrate a prototype proliferated Low Earth Orbit (pLEO) communications and data Transport Layer and its sub-constellations in support of the DoD Space Vision. This program element may include necessary civilian pay expenses and contractor support required to facilitate delivery of the Transport capability. The FY 2026 cost of the Tranche 1 (T1) Transport Layer Middle Tier of Acquisition effort is reflected in the budget request, including RDT&E and procurement of prototype units. The Department will certify Future Years Defense Program funding in a future budget submission. The FY 2026 cost of the Tranche 2 (T2) Transport Layer Middle Tier of Acquisition effort is reflected in the budget request, including RDT&E and procurement of prototype units. The Department will certify Future Years Defense Program funding in a future budget submission. This effort is in Budget Activity 4, Advanced Component Development and Prototypes (ACD&P), because efforts are necessary to evaluate integrated technologies, representative modes or prototype systems in a high fidelity and realistic operating environment.
Justification
Accomplishments & Planned Programs (6)
Transport
Rapidly develop, deploy and demonstrate prototypes that enable a resilient and unified military data transport layer, sensor capabilities, and alternate position, navigation, and timing (APNT) capabilities enabled by a proliferated Low Earth Orbit (pLEO) architecture. This effort will define, demonstrate, and deliver the architectures and standards necessary to rapidly prototype and field new satellite capabilities in LEO.
Classified Projects
Due to the classified nature of this project, specific details are available at a higher classification level.
Sabre
Sabre is a joint partnership executed/managed by Space Development Agency (SDA) and supported by the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) Test Resource Management Center (TRMC) and United States Army Futures Command. This project will support demonstration for space-based monitoring of telemetry data during flight testing, which will greatly enhance range test flexibility and improve test execution operational Security.
Sensing
Develop and demonstrate payload prototypes compatible with a proliferated Low Earth Orbit (pLEO) architecture. This effort will focus on developing and demonstrating sensors for beyond-line-of-sight targeting, space-to-space data links, space-to-tactical data links, and advanced missile warning capabilities to enable enhanced space domain awareness. On-orbit demonstrations will be tied to existing mission-specific ground infrastructure, when it exists. Ground infrastructure will be linked or developed to support payload integration and data processing.
Classified Program
Due to the classified nature of this project, specific details are available at a higher classification level.
Integration and Battle Management
Deliver capabilities to U.S. joint warfighting forces in two-year enhanced capability tranches, beginning in FY 2022. Products include but are not limited to performing trade studies, technical analyses, or modeling and simulation; identifying and maturing enabling technologies; defining and conducting ground-based and on-orbit risk reduction demonstrations, prototyping hardware or software systems; and exploring novel concepts for future warfighting capabilities augmented by a resilient proliferated Low Earth Orbit (pLEO) satellite architecture.
Budget Line Items(workbook-cited)
Exhibit R-1
| Account | Org | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation, Space Force | F | FY24 Actuals | $1.98B |
| Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation, Space Force | F | FY25 Enacted | $1.61B |
| Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation, Space Force | F | FY25 Total | $1.61B |
| Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation, Space Force | F | FY26 Disc. Request | $1.31B |
| Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation, Space Force | F | FY26 Total | $1.31B |
Budget Details(R-2/P-40 facts)
| Project | All Prior Years | FY24 Actuals | FY25 Total | FY26 Base | FY26 Request |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 643729: Integration and Battle Management | $0 | $126.7M | $260.6M | $175.0M | $175.0M |
| 643732: Sensing | $0 | $106.7M | $96.4M | $88.8M | $88.8M |
| 643731: Transport | $0 | $1.75B | $1.25B | $1.04B | $1.04B |
| Program Element | $0 | $1.98B | $1.61B | $1.31B | $1.31B |
No follow-the-dollar view — this program's awards haven't been crosswalked at high confidence (flows cover 17 of 1741 programs). why coverage is partial? →
Awards
No awards are linked to this program element at high confidence — the budget→award crosswalk only asserts links it can defend, and this line has none yet.
Lobbying Mentions
No Senate LDA lobbying filing in the tracked data mentions this program element by code or alias.
Program dossier
Every sentence below carries its citation — warehouse figures open the citation panel, news claims link the cached source.
Research dossiers exist for 50 of 1741 programs — the 50 largest fully J-book-detailed programs by FY2026 request. why no dossier here? →
What it is
- Space Technology Development and Prototyping (program element 1206410SF) is a U.S. Space Force research-and-development program funded in the Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation, Space Force account.
- The program is run by the Space Development Agency (SDA), which develops and demonstrates next-generation space capabilities for the joint warfighter using large numbers of lower-cost, mass-produced satellites in Low Earth Orbit and a rapid, spiral-development acquisition model.
- SDA is building the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA), a resilient military sensing and data-transport network fielded in two-year tranches that began in FY2022.
- The largest project in the program is the Transport layer, which develops and demonstrates a resilient, low-latency data-transport backbone plus alternate position, navigation, and timing (APNT) capabilities enabled by the proliferated Low Earth Orbit architecture.
- The Sensing project develops payload prototypes for advanced missile tracking, global surveillance, and beyond-line-of-sight targeting, including space-to-space and space-to-tactical data links for enhanced space domain awareness.
- The Integration and Battle Management project delivers space-based command, control, tasking, and mission-processing capabilities together with a resilient network of ground-support infrastructure to the joint force.
Why it matters
- The program's total funding declines from $1,607,685 thousand enacted in FY2025 to $1,307,970 thousand (about $1.31 billion) requested for FY2026.
- That is a year-over-year decrease of $299,715 thousand (roughly $300 million) from FY2025 to FY2026.
- In FY2024 the program recorded actual spending of $1,982,182 thousand (about $1.98 billion), so the request has been trending downward across the three years.
- The entire FY2026 request is discretionary funding — the R-1 exhibit shows a discretionary request of $1,307,970 thousand and no separate reconciliation (mandatory) request for this program element.
- The Transport layer dominates the spending, funded at about $1,044.1 million for FY2026 — the great majority of the program's total.
- The Integration and Battle Management project is the next-largest line at about $175.0 million for FY2026, followed by the Sensing project at about $88.8 million.
- The program matters because it underpins U.S. defenses against hypersonic and advanced missile threats, providing the missile-warning, tracking, and low-latency data-transport layers the Department of Defense intends to field at scale in Low Earth Orbit.
Key players
- The program is run by the U.S. Space Force through the Space Development Agency (SDA), with funding drawn from the Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation, Space Force appropriation.
- One project, Sabre, is a joint partnership managed by SDA and supported by the Office of the Secretary of Defense Test Resource Management Center and United States Army Futures Command to demonstrate space-based monitoring of telemetry during flight testing.