WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA) is moving quickly to align its satellite network with a sweeping new missile defense initiative directed by the Trump administration.
The agency published a call to industry Feb. 11, seeking perspectives on integrating its Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) into a broader missile defense system dubbed “Iron Dome for America.” This initiative, established by presidential executive order, aims to create a comprehensive shield against sophisticated threats including hypersonic and ballistic missiles.
SDA, operating under the U.S. Space Force, has been rapidly acquiring hundreds of satellites for the PWSA, with dozens of satellites projected to launch to orbit this year. This network in low Earth orbit consists of two primary components: a data transport layer for rapid communications and a tracking layer designed to detect and monitor advanced missile threats.
The agency plans to award one or more contracts for 60-day studies focused on several areas, including digital simulation modeling of the proposed architecture, and the integration of the Missile Defense Agency’s Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor satellites into the PWSA’s tracking layer.
Integration of space assets
Unlike Israel’s Iron Dome, which protects a relatively small geographic area, the U.S. system must defend a vastly larger territory against more sophisticated threats. This scaling challenge makes the integration of space assets crucial for the system’s success.
Beyond satellite integration, the SDA is also looking to accelerate the adoption of technically mature and novel sensor phenomenologies into the PWSA. A key area of interest includes leveraging the Transport Layer — a network of communication satellites that is part of the PWSA — to support multiple weapon systems that would be deployed to intercept missile threats.
Another focus is on supply chain security, an issue identified as a priority in the executive order. Interoperability is a top concern, as the agency seeks solutions to ensure seamless communication between space-based and ground-based missile defense architectures, including commercial systems and other defense networks.
SDA said the results of these 60-day studies will be shared with key U.S. government agencies, including the U.S. Space Force and the Missile Defense Agency, to help shape the future of the Iron Dome for America architecture. SDA set a deadline of February 28 for industry submissions, after which the agency will evaluate proposals and select the most promising concepts for further study.
The Missile Defense Agency in a separate Jan. 31 request for information (RFI) requested submissions from industry, also due Feb. 28, on “innovative missile defense technologies, architectures, concepts, and concepts of operations” to detect and defeat threats posed by ballistic, hypersonic and cruise missiles, as well as aerial drone attacks.
