The Defense Department looks to accelearate space projects and leverage commercial technology platforms through the establisment of a new agency early next year, SpaceNews reported Tuesday.
Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and Michael Griffin, DoD undersecretary for research and engineering, have said a Space Development Agency would help address military innovation challenges in that domain.
Shanahan wants the department to form SDA during the first quarter of 2019 and Griffin expects the proposed organization to operate under his office.
The DoD R&E chief is considering a potential transfer of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency‘s Blackjack military satellite program and the Missile Defense Agency‘s Space Sensor Layer research project to the SDA.