In 2023, the Space Rapid Capabilities Office — a semi-autonomous acquisition organization dedicated to quickly delivering critical technologies to the Space Force —  initiated yet another attempt to modernize its ground systems used to manage and reposition satellites on orbit when it launched the Rapid Resilient Command and Control (R2C2) program.

While the effort has been successful thus far, the office now has just 18 months to figure out how the system can be augmented to support even more satellites, Space RCO Director Kelly Hammett said Wednesday during a media roundtable at the annual AFA Warfare Symposium.

“I have concerns about scalability to all the flying programs that are going to be coming, because Delta 9 and [Space Operations Command] has said nothing will come to Delta 9 that isn’t on R2C2 after 2026,” Hammett said.

R2C2 is a combined program between Space RCO and Space Systems Command that provides a cloud-based infrastructure offering tactical ground segment software used to control dynamic satellites — that is, those that can reposition on-orbit to respond to new threats in space. Software tools and infrastructure are provided from a pool of 20 commercial vendors that in 2024 received indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contracts worth up to $1 billion total over a period of five-to-seven years.

Past efforts to modernize ground control infrastructure for dynamic satellites that conduct orbital warfare have been burdened by ambitious goals, legacy architectures and narrow requirements. After cancelling two such programs — first the Enterprise Ground Systems (EGS) and then the Ground Command, Control and Communications (GC3) — Space RCO decided to pivot its contracting approach for R2C2.

The idea was to “go to non-traditional, small business software writers instead of traditional defense primes who have struggled, in many cases, to provide ground software previously,” Hammett said. “We put the infrastructure in place and we put the platform in the development pipeline, and got all that at multiple classification levels. And then within 15 months, we had working software.”

Historically, the Space Force has struggled to deliver supporting ground segments prior to satellites launching, which has caused strain on current systems. As a result, the service’s former acquisition lead Frank Calvelli called for breaking down traditionally monolithic ground system modernization programs into smaller, more manageable segments.

The iterative approach is being used for other ground segment modernization efforts, and Hammett said the strategy has been effective thus far. The office is already talking to satellites on orbit using five prototype versions of software and it plans to field an operational R2C2 1.0 capability in April, he added. 

“We’re trying to show [the Space Force] what ‘right’ looks like in terms of cloud-based and agile software development that delivers on a cadence,” he said. “It’s not ‘wait five years until you get working software’ — you get something in 14 months and then you get another version.” 

The office is hoping to build off of its early success with R2C2 as it looks at how the platform can support the growing number of satellites that will be launched over the next few years. The office has just 18 months to figure out how it can onboard new systems into R2C2, and Hammett has tasked his team to deliver a plan for scaling the platform before then.

“Does that mean bringing on an integrator, a contractor or an additional government team? We’re working through that,” he said.

But scaling the system isn’t the only challenge Space RCO is working on. Hammett noted that they also need to understand how to integrate multiple new capabilities into a coherent system of systems that can work together at the cadence needed for future operations.

“We’re building a bunch of stuff. We need to connect it appropriately. That’s why we took on R2C2, but that’s just one piece. We’re doing tactical C2 for orbital warfare. We’ve got [a separate system called Kronos] out of SSC doing operational C2 for that, and then we’ve got the other mission areas,” he said.

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The Hyperspace Challenge, which first kicked off in 2018, is a business accelerator funded by the Space Force and Air Force Research Lab in partnership with CNM Ingenuity — a nonprofit connected to Central New Mexico Community College. The Space Rapid Capabilities Office, headquartered at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is an acquisition arm of the Space Force focused on speedily meeting the needs of the Defense Department and U.S. Space Command. The organization is sponsoring this year’s challenge.

“Advancements in space are driving a paradigm shift on earth that have the potential to be socially and economically transformative,” Matthew Fetrow, Space RCO communications manager, said in a release Wednesday. “But the space assets enabling these advancements are increasingly at risk. We need to be able to protect these assets from growing threats, and we need to do it quickly.”

The Pentagon is concerned about potential attacks on spacecraft from jammers, high-powered lasers, anti-satellite missiles, cyber tools and other weapons, as well as space debris.

“The 2023 [Hyperspace Challenge] cohort will convene researchers and companies with mature technologies to work with the U.S. Space Force to explore ways to make space assets, including satellites, more resilient to threats,” per the release.

Technologies of interest to the Space RCO include using hazard awareness capabilities that can rapidly and accurately detect and prioritize threats either from the ground or space; AI, machine learning and autonomy that reduce ground-based vehicle operator workload, inform vehicle response decisions and decrease vehicle response time; and advanced propulsion, refueling and fuel conservation capabilities that enable space assets to maneuver more freely.

“While companies may address each need individually, Space RCO is particularly interested in addressing the needs collaboratively in order to unlock new opportunities,” according to a problem statement about this year’s challenge. “The ability to maneuver, coupled with timely awareness and decision support tools opens options for proactively avoiding threats or reactively responding to minimize threat effects. Taken together these capabilities may also open more orbit options, allow for more readiness and training activities, and even create opportunities for new operating concepts.”

Companies that are given the green light to participate in the program will work with Space RCO officials, who are looking to expedite the development of capabilities with the aim of deploying them within the next few years.

Notably, organizations outside the traditional aerospace sector that have technologies relevant to the challenge, are encouraged to apply.

Interested parties can submit a form via a Hyperspace Challenge website to receive more information about the program, including upcoming webinars and the application process. The deadline to submit the form is Aug. 15.

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