The U.S. Space Force has requested nearly $16 billion over the next five years to continue building a new class of spy satellites that can help track missiles moving at hypersonic speeds. The budget represents an increase of almost twice as much as previously estimated. The Space Force’s budget request for FY24 includes $2.3 billion for the development of small spacecraft in orbits less than 22,000 miles above Earth to identify and track enemy missiles. However, the Space Force is looking for steeper funding increases in the years ahead. The Resilient Missile Warning Missile Tracking Program is being developed to increase defenses against Russia and China, who are currently developing weapons that travel and maneuver above Mach 5 speeds. In the next few years, the program should produce several smaller satellites that can be launched into more diverse orbits, replacing the Space-Based Infrared System and Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared satellites currently in orbit.
The majority of the budget allocation will support a fleet of satellites in low Earth orbit, about 1,200 miles above Earth, run by the Space Development Agency, with $1.2 billion allocated in FY24 and a total of $9.7 billion over the next five years. The satellite building contract has been awarded to Northrop Grumman, SpaceX, L3Harris Technologies, and Raytheon Technologies, which will form its Tracking Layer. The budget has also allocated $538 million for medium-Earth orbit satellites, with Space Systems Command working with Raytheon and Boeing’s Millennium Space Systems for development. The ground system that will operate the satellites is expected to receive $505 million in funding in FY24, with about $2.8 billion expected to be spent on this segment over the next five years.
In separate news, Varda Space Industries recently disclosed how it will team with the US Air Force to leverage reentry capsules that could potentiate hypersonic test flights. Varda, which plans to send “factory” satellites weighing just over 120kg to orbit, has attracted almost $60 million from strategic partners (private and government-based investors) to test run its capsules, which it intends to use to bring pharmaceuticals and other products manufactured in zero gravity back to Earth.
The Air Force will use Varda’s reentry capsules as a testing platform for its hypersonic missiles and aircraft components. The strategic agreement allocates $60 million for the project, with the Air Force and NASA contributing $15 million each. AFWERX, the organization that sponsors the STRATFI program, added another $15 million, while Varda’s venture investors contributed $30 million. As per Varda’s Co-Founder, the first demonstration mission is scheduled to launch in June on SpaceX’s Transporter 8 rideshare, with the company demonstrating “melt-cool drug production capabilities.” Varda thinks the reentry vehicle designed for its commercial business can also be utilized for material tests. In 2019, the Air Force granted Varda a $443,000 Small Business Innovation Research contract to evaluate the reentry capsules’ economic feasibility as a test platform since traditional flight testing is costlier.
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