WASHINGTON — The Space Development Agency (SDA) is disputing findings in a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that raised alarms over the agency’s push to procure hundreds of satellites for its low Earth orbit (LEO) military mesh network without fully validating the key technology enabling it — laser communications links between satellites.
The GAO’s Feb. 26 report argues that SDA is advancing its procurement plans for Tranches 1 and 2 of its Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) constellation without having fully demonstrated that the intersatellite laser communications technology works as promised. This technology, essential for the high-speed data transfers required by the military, remains unproven in the harsh conditions of space, according to the report.
In a response issued Feb. 27, an SDA spokesperson rejected some of the GAO’s assertions, standing by the agency’s approach and pointing to the progress made in the first tranche of satellites launched under the PWSA program. “While GAO is accurate in their report that we have not yet demonstrated the ‘full range of laser communications,’ SDA successfully met the baseline objectives set forth in Tranche 0: proving critical technology and providing lessons learned for both the government and vendor teams,” the spokesperson said.
SDA met ‘baseline objectives’
Tranche 0, launched in 2024, was intended to lay the groundwork for the broader PWSA network by deploying 27 satellites and testing key technologies. However, GAO’s report criticizes the fact that while some laser communications tests were conducted, SDA did not fully validate the system’s functionality in orbit before moving on to the next phases of deployment.
One specific concern raised by GAO is that the incomplete testing in Tranche 0 could leave crucial lessons unlearned, complicating future deployments. The lack of fully functional intersatellite communications in the initial…
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