The future of one of the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) flagship satellite constellations is in limbo as the Department of Defense (DoD) weighs whether to replace the planned Tranche 3 Transport Layer with commercial satellite communications solutions.
“The DoD is conducting an Analysis of Alternatives to determine the requirements and architecture for proliferated SATCOM, to include both government-owned and commercial,” a Department of the Air Force spokesperson told MeriTalk today.
SDA’s Transport Layer is a critical component of the Pentagon’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, a sprawling network of satellites envisioned to serve as the “backbone” of the military’s Joint All Domain Command and Control system. This layer is designed to rapidly and securely relay data from surveillance and reconnaissance sensors to operational forces in theater.
The SDA has launched its experimental Tranche 0 satellites, and contracts for more than 300 satellites under Tranches 1 and 2 have been awarded, with launches scheduled to begin this summer and continue through 2027. The first of 12 planned military satellites in the tranche, known as Dragoon, was declared fully operational less than a week after its launch, despite earlier schedule delays.
Despite SDA’s progress on earlier tranches, plans for the next phase – Tranche 3 – are currently on hold, and so is its funding.
The agency’s fiscal year (FY) 2026 budget request, released last week, allocates roughly $1.8 billion for Tranches 0, 1, and 2, but makes no mention of Tranche 3. While preliminary funding was requested in the FY2025 cycle and contracts were expected this year, SDA halted planned solicitations this spring, citing the need for “further budgetary guidance.”
The pause in Tranche 3 has drawn scrutiny from lawmakers, who pressed Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman for clarity during recent hearings.
During a House Armed Services Committee hearing on the Air Force Fiscal 2026 Posture on June 5, Saltzman emphasized that the department is exploring alternative approaches, including the potential use of commercial proliferated low Earth orbit constellations.
“We are simply looking at alternatives as we look to the future as to what’s the best way to scale this up to the larger requirements for data transport,” he stated.
A Department of the Air Force spokesperson said no final decision has been made on the future architecture but emphasized continued “investment in commercial SATCOM appropriate to meet warfighter needs.”