SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch. Credit: SpaceX
The Space Development Agency– charged with constructing the National Defense Space Architecture– will, for the first time, put satellites into orbit aboard SpaceXs Transporter 2 commercial rocket when it releases Friday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The Falcon 9 mission will consist of 5 SDA satellites. These consist of a set of “Mandrake II” satellites; 2 “Laser Interconnect Networking Communications System,” or LINCS, satellites; and a satellite bring the SDAs Prototype On-orbit Experimental Testbed, or POET, experiment.
The SDA is working now on delivering the National Defense Space Architecture, which consists of hundreds of satellites provided in “tranches” every two years; each tranche will supply more ability.

The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft sits atop a Falcon 9 rocket and prepares to raise off from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Force Center in Florida, as part of NASAs Demo-2 objective, May 30, 2020. A similar SpaceX rocket will launch on June 25, 2021, bring satellites into area for the Space Development Agency.
The “transportation layer” of the National Defense Space Architecture is made up of hundreds of satellites that are connected optically. The Space Development Agency is set to test that innovation with satellites being released aboard a business SpaceX rocket on June 25, 2021. Credit: Graphic courtesy Space Development Agency

The Space Development Agency logo design. Credit: DOD
The NDSAs network of numerous satellites will provide beyond line-of-sight targeting for ground and maritime time-sensitive targets and the same for opponent rockets currently in flight. The system will supply the capability to find those targets, track them, compute a fire control option and then provide that service down to a weapons platform so the target can be ruined.
Its anticipated that the NDSAs numerous satellites will interact with one another utilizing a network of lasers through optical communication terminals, or OCTs. For this initial mission, Mandrake II will carry an OCT from SA Photonics while LINCS will carry an OCT from General Atomics.
2 of each kind of satellite will go into orbit, and the SDA will assess the capability of each OCT to operate in area.
” Were trying to determine the acquisition, the pointing and the tracking,” said a senior SDA authorities. “Can we make the connection; can we hold that connection; and can we exchange information between two terminals in area with that connection?”
The authorities said the tests will put the satellites as far as 2,400 kilometers apart in order to check their capability to communicate via laser with an OCT
. The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft sits atop a Falcon 9 rocket and prepares to raise off from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Force Center in Florida, as part of NASAs Demo-2 objective, May 30, 2020. A similar SpaceX rocket will introduce on June 25, 2021, bring satellites into space for the Space Development Agency.
” Were going to attempt to send information essentially from D.C. to Denver at the speed of light,” he stated. “And thats what were going to bring to the warfighter over the next a number of years.”
SDAs concern with the NDSA is remaining on schedule and providing capability to the warfighter as rapidly as possible.
” The essential thing is always to concentrate on getting these capabilities up and functional as rapidly as possible,” said SDA Director Derek M. Tournear throughout an online discussion last month with the Space Force Association. “We will trade efficiency for schedule to ensure that we can maintain that.
” No matter how great or how inexpensive a program or platform is, if it is not there when you require it, its worthless … were constantly concentrated on schedule,” Tournear stated. “Were going to get these capabilities up on time.”
As part of that focus on schedule– and cost– the SDA is hoping to build a “market” for the satellites it prepares to put into orbit. It will purchase a great deal of those satellites and put them up routinely. Agency authorities anticipate that a market for satellites would trigger many vendors to compete regularly with their most current innovation, and numerous would have suitable technologies.
The “transportation layer” of the National Defense Space Architecture is made up of hundreds of satellites that are linked optically. The Space Development Agency is set to test that technology with satellites being introduced aboard a business SpaceX rocket on June 25, 2021. Credit: Graphic courtesy Space Development Agency
” SDA does not believe in the concept of incumbents,” the SDA authorities stated. “SDA thinks in building markets. Our company believe in structure industrial capability to do the examples that we need to do. As we multiply throughout [low-Earth orbit], we understand beyond a shadow of a doubt that we cant depend on a single supplier for a key innovation. We desire to make sure that numerous suppliers have the capability of constructing the systems that we require and that the warfighter needs.”
The POET experiment will likewise enter into area on June 25. While Mandrake II and LINCS will evaluate optical interaction terminals, POET will be an experiment on how to process info in space so that time isnt wasted sending it down to Earth to be processed.
The SDA official said POET is a “fight management capability” that will remain in area.
” Were going to in fact fill information and algorithms into that on orbit, and were going to check out data fusion in orbit for the warfighter,” the authorities stated.
Having processing capability on the ground suggests unneeded latency at the same time, which is unacceptable.
” The more processing that we can move into space, the better off were going to be,” he stated. “POET is going to offer us the very first chance to actually do that, … so were truly anticipating getting some data out of this.”

By C. Todd Lopez, DOD News
June 24, 2021