Lt. Col. Tim Trimailo, a materiel head at the Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC), said his office is working to develop recommendations on streamlining the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) contracting process, SpaceNews reported Monday.
Trimailo, who serves as materiel head for SMC’s Commercially Augmented Space Inter-networked Operations (CASINO) program, told attendees at a virtual Potomac Officers Club event that his team ran through proposals to help speed up the issuance of contracts and launch a constellation by 2022.
He noted that CASINO serves as the focal point for SMC’s activities in low-Earth orbit and has “a natural tie” to SDA’s initiatives. The CASINO team is actively looking into additional opportunities for collaboration with SDA, Trimailo noted.
CASINO is meant to support efforts under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Blackjack satellite communications program, according to SpaceNews.
“SDA is developing this stable of satellites that are going up very frequently, and there’s an opportunity to test some advanced capabilities on orbit to inform future investments and form the future architecture,” said Trimailo.
SDA is slated to operate under the U.S. Space Force by 2022.
If you missed the 2021 SDA Forum, you can still register to watch the OnDemand Version by visiting Potomac Officers Club’s Event Archive.