The Aerospace Corporation has released a new study that praises the speed at which the Space Development Agency has launched satellites or payloads since its establishment in 2019 using an acquisition model based on proliferation, or the creation and maintenance of a space architecture made up of many satellites that are periodically replaced, Breaking Defense reported Thursday.
The same study, titled “The Space Development Agency and the Future of Defense Space Acquisitions,” nevertheless also seeks to temper the enthusiasm expressed by some within the contracting world that has called for the broader adoption of the SDA’s rapid acquisition approach across the Department of Defense.
The study, authored by Center for Space Policy and Strategy Senior Policy Analyst Andrew Berglund, says that the SDA’s acquisition approach has not been sufficiently studied to determine whether it can be exported to other agencies, for whom a proliferation-based methodology might not be appropriate to begin with.
Also, the SDA has enjoyed legal exemptions from having to comply with select regulations governing government acquisitions, a benefit many other organizations have not received.
Equally important is the fact that the outcomes of the SDA’s acquisition model have not yet been proven. The study notes that the satellites SDA has launched have yet to demonstrate their capabilities.
The study also raises questions about the model’s ability to sustain the delivery of new satellite capabilities — every two years — as well as the model’s ability to sustain competition over time, especially as “the advantages of incumbency” becomes pronounced.