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 tranche may mean that Tranches 1 and 2 — expected to be significantly larger — could face costly and time-consuming technical setbacks.
SDA, however, argues that it met the “baseline objectives” for Tranche 0, despite not achieving a complete demonstration of the technology. According to the agency, the satellites successfully established in-plane optical communication links, demonstrated the feasibility of a mesh optical network, and provided essential data for further development of the program.
“Accomplishments from Tranche 0 tests include successful in-plane lasercom links,” the SDA spokesperson noted. “We also demonstrated the feasibility of a mesh optical network on orbit, procured through multiple vendors on abbreviated acquisition timelines, and now seek to expand our optical communication terminal (OCT) capability.”
The agency revealed very limited information about Tranche 0 laser communications tests. In September, SDA disclosed that two SpaceX-built satellites successfully exchanged data using optical terminals manufactured by Tesat-Spacecom. York Space announced in January that its Tesat terminals had also communicated with SpaceX’s satellites. Satellites made by Lockheed Martin and L3Harris also were deployed as part of Tranche 0 but it’s unclear whether they attempted any laser cross-link demonstrations.
SDA says it is now setting its sights on Tranche 1, which is slated for its first launch in 2025. This tranche will feature more advanced optical communication terminals.
SDA maintains it’s “on track to leverage in-plane optical links to operate a fully functional system” in its larger Tranche 1 deployment and “continue work toward demonstrating the full range of laser communications.”
The agency emphasized that it is working to implement the GAO’s recommendations.
The GAO did acknowledge in its report that SDA was created in 2019 specifically to accelerate acquisitions and move away from traditional Pentagon procurement methods; however, given the billions of dollars at stake in the PWSA program, the office argued that SDA should ensure the technology is sufficiently mature before proceeding with the next round of satellite acquisitions.
