Printed from https://fiscalreceipts.com/program/1206415F/ — built September 26, 2026. Every figure is citation-backed; see the page online for per-number provenance.
U.S. Space Command Research and Development Support
Budget figures
FY2026 award data is a partial year — USAspending reports awards on a rolling basis, and this corpus runs through 2026-09-04. why partial FY2026 data? →
Budget trajectory
| Fiscal year | Amount |
|---|---|
| FY24 | $8.78M |
| FY25 | $24.4M |
| FY26 | $36.9M |
All series figures: R-1 TOA · PB2026
Decade view
P-1/R-1 workbook TOA basis, shown compact in $B/$M (the workbook records USD thousands); each figure cites its own President's Budget edition
The vertical scale does not start at zero: the baseline sits just below this program’s smallest year, so a low point on this line is not a small amount. Read the shape for direction and the grid below for the figures.
● actuals (line) · ○ enacted · ◇ request — gaps are editions the program is absent from, never interpolated.
| Series | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 | FY26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actuals | $0 | $0 | $8.35M | $8.78M | ||
| Enacted | – | $0 | $8.35M | $14.9M | $24.4M | |
| Request | – | – | $10.3M | $14.9M | $28.4M | $36.9M |
blank = series not published for this year; – = absent from that edition.
Asked vs spent: the PB2024 book requested $14.9M for FY2024; the PB2026 book reported $8.78M as actual total obligation authority — $6.11M below the request. 8.8 − 14.9 = -6.1 USD millions — the compact figures above are rounded for reading.
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 — U.S. Space Command Research and Development Support
U.S. Space Command Research and Development support program integrates existing space-based capabilities from the Services and the Intelligence Community, overlaid with national laboratory and Commercial/Industry innovations, leveraging Joint Space rapid experimentation and demonstrations to build a comprehensive military advantage in Space. Promoting responsible behaviors in space, advocating for greater space capabilities, and collaborating with Industry partners are foundational to achieving National Space objectives. This shall be accomplished by accelerating technology demonstrations and rapid operational prototyping, plus assessing current and future space-based effects via model-based analysis. Moreover, this program supports the National Space Policy of the United States of America, "to demonstrate United States leadership in space-related fora and activities to strengthen deterrence and assure allies and partners of its commitment to preserving the safety, stability, security, and long-term sustainability of space activities." NAVWAR, the management of PNT information, requires a coordinated employment of space, cyberspace, and electromagnetic warfare (EW) capabilities, enabled by intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) management. Funds are used to develop and integrate NAVWAR offensive and defensive capabilities and to create and maintain NAVWAR knowledge, and tactics, techniques and procedures (TTP) to ensure NAVWAR superiority across the DoD. Additional responsibilities include advocating for and providing space capabilities such as PNT information to CCMDs, allies, partners and other entities, as directed. The Lighthouse program shall integrate SDA net with all of the space domain awareness (SDA) sensors required to increase SDA data availability for kill chain closure. This includes upgrades to SDA coverage to reduce coverage gaps. Lack of funding for Lighthouse will result in sensors remaining on the legacy 1980s communication infrastructure whose data rates and data formats do not support timely transfer of information required to address. 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.
Mission — USSPACECOM Rapid Prototype Demonstration
U.S. Space Command Research and Development support program integrates existing space-based capabilities from the Services and the Intelligence Community, overlaid with national laboratory and Commercial/Industry innovations, leveraging Joint Space rapid experimentation and demonstrations to build a comprehensive military advantage in Space. Promoting responsible behaviors in space, advocating for greater space capabilities, and collaborating with Industry partners are foundational to achieving National Space objectives. This shall be accomplished by accelerating technology demonstrations and rapid operational prototyping, plus assessing current and future space-based effects via model-based analysis. Moreover, this program supports the National Space Policy of the United States of America, "to demonstrate United States leadership in space-related fora and activities to strengthen deterrence and assure allies and partners of its commitment to preserving the safety, stability, security, and long-term sustainability of space activities." NAVWAR, the management of PNT information, requires a coordinated employment of space, cyberspace, and electromagnetic warfare (EW) capabilities, enabled by intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) management. Funds are used to develop and integrate NAVWAR offensive and defensive capabilities and to create and maintain NAVWAR knowledge, and tactics, techniques and procedures (TTP) to ensure NAVWAR superiority across the DoD. Additional responsibilities include advocating for and providing space capabilities such as PNT information to CCMDs, allies, partners and other entities, as directed. The Lighthouse program shall integrate SDA net with all of the space domain awareness (SDA) sensors required to increase SDA data availability for kill chain closure. This includes upgrades to SDA coverage to reduce coverage gaps. Lack of funding for Lighthouse will result in sensors remaining on the legacy 1980s communication infrastructure whose data rates and data formats do not support timely transfer of information required to address.
Justification
Accomplishments & Planned Programs (7)
Classified Space Threat-Based Studies and Analysis
To meet the Commander's objectives under Prepare and Posture, Counter Threats, and Expand Competitive Warfighting Advantage, leverage highly technical expertise from across the Nation's Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs), National Laboratories, Service Laboratories, and Agency Laboratories, to provide extensive analytical, engineering, and highly technical intelligence expertise to various USSPACECOM efforts, and provide professional and qualified science and technology and advanced concepts support.
Commercial Capability Platform Integration into USSPACECOM Operations
Meet the Commander's objectives to Strengthen Relationships, capitalize on Industry Innovations to Develop future technical capabilities via Accelerator/Incubator collaboration, derived from risk-reduction modeling of space effects, and sustain focus areas where Government stakeholders, small businesses, traditional and non-traditional DoD contractors, universities, and other non-federal entities can collaborate and demonstrate capabilities.
Contested Space Modeling for Capabilities, Analysis, and Verification Environment (CAVE)
The CAVE consists of a modeling and simulation environment that was established starting in FY22 to assist with meeting the commander's vision and the J8 assigned tasks outlined in the theater campaign plan, exercises, and operations. The CAVE modeling and simulation capabilities support the analysis of the Commander's strategic planning, wargaming, experimentation, exercises, and requirements development and analysis, and leverage work completed across the space portfolio to provide quick turn analysis efforts.
Space Operations Application Prototyping and Integration
Develop and operationalize commercial-based capabilities within the command to support the Commander's two key objectives: Protect and Defend and Expand Competitive Warfighting Advantage. This effort includes the integration of international and commercial capabilities within the command, and the stand up a USSPACECOM Technology Transfer program, which allows the Command to sign T2 agreements with non-federal entities, including Joint Commercial Operations (JCO) and Commercial Integration Cell (CIC) partners, establish PIAs to support initial transition of Command developed software applications into operational support.
Space Operations Research, Development, and Experimentation
Conduct short-term classified studies, science and technology (S&T) and Research and Development (R&D) demonstrations, experiments, and rapid operational prototyping to meet the Commanders priority to Counter Threats.
PNT Operational Assessments
The JNWC will investigate, operationally assess, and simulate current, emerging, and potential threats and mitigation strategies for denial of blue force PNT capabilities as well as preventing the hostile use of PNT information. Major Performers - Best value to the government selected contractors, universities, government facilities, federally funded research and development centers, laboratories, or other organizations.
Lighthouse
Lighthouse is a classified project. It will integrate and upgrade sensors.
Budget line items(workbook-cited)
P-1/R-1 workbook Total Obligation Authority basis (USD thousands) · PB2026.
Exhibit R-1
| Account | Org | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force | F | FY24 Actuals | $8.78M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force | F | FY25 Enacted | $24.4M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force | F | FY25 Total | $24.4M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force | F | FY26 Disc. Request | $36.9M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force | F | FY26 Total | $36.9M |
Budget Details(R-2/P-40 facts)
J-book detail basis (R-2/P-40, USD millions) · PB2026 — a different accounting basis from the P-1/R-1 workbook TOA above; where the two disagree, the reconciliation strip under Budget figures shows both.
Wider than this screen — swipe the table sideways for the remaining fiscal-year columns.
| Project | All Prior Years | FY24 Actuals | FY25 Total | FY26 Base | FY26 Request |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Program Element | $0 | $8.78M | $24.4M | $36.9M | $36.9M |
| 641234: USSPACECOM Rapid Prototype Demonstration | $0 | $8.78M | $24.4M | $36.9M | $36.9M |
Follow the dollar
No follow-the-dollar view — this program's awards haven't been crosswalked at high confidence (flows cover 312 of 1,938 programs). why coverage is partial? →
Awards
No awards are linked to this program element at high or medium 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.
Oversight
Department-level designation (not specific to this program)
GAO lists 5 high-risk areas for DOD as a whole. That designation covers the department, not U.S. Space Command Research and Development Support. No program-specific GAO finding for this line is in the ingested data. See the DOD oversight record.
Program dossier
No research dossier for this program — dossiers cover 50 of 1,938 programs, the largest fully J-book-detailed lines by FY2026 requested dollars. why no dossier here? →
Primary sources
Open any budget figure for its exact receipt. Verified line items lead with the highlighted government PDF; original spreadsheets download with their budget edition and exhibit in the filename.
Budget totals · TOA sources
FY2026 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J583
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2026_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
FY2023 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J554
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2023_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
FY2024 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J549
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2024_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
FY2025 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J563
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2025_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
Detailed budget justification
The related TOA spreadsheets above use a different accounting basis from R-2/P-40 detail. Their amounts are not assumed to match these detailed sources.
FY2026 Air Force Research and Development Test and Evaluation, Vol. I · www.saffm.hq.af.mil
PDF page 14