The SDN Backbone was previously known as MILNET, a joint Space Force and National Reconnaissance Office effort. MILNET appeared in Space Force budget documents last year, but the service released few details about the program.
Media reports at the time indicated that SpaceX was the sole contractor using its militarized Starshield satellites, which are based on its Starlink spacecraft. Space Systems Command described the new Backbone in a May 26 release as an “integrated network, providing robust, resilient, high-capacity, and low-latency data transport … delivering worldwide tactical communications and broadband communication services.”
SpaceX is required to deliver a “fully operational prototype capability by the end of 2027,” according to the release. The command could not immediately say whether the effort will involve launching new satellites or using spacecraft already in orbit.
Space Force budget documents indicate the service plans to buy 13 satellites for the Space Data Network in 2026 and 21 in 2027. Space Systems Command said the contract with SpaceX was a competitive award.
The command could not immediately say whether it received other proposals. A Space Force spokesperson previously told Air & Space Forces Magazine that the service wants to “galvanize the U.S. industrial base to meet Space Force proliferation needs.”
The spokesperson also said identifying a second contractor to build Space Data Network satellites, as well as other elements of the architecture, is part of that effort. In a statement, SDN Backbone system program manager Lt. Col. Jeffrey Fry said competition remains central to the program.
“Our acquisition strategy is designed to foster competition and broaden our industrial base,” Fry said.
“We aren’t trading speed for scale; we are demanding both. By using rapid prototyping and Other Transaction Authorities, we are ensuring our advanced solutions are integrated and delivered to the warfighter as fast as possible,” Fry added.
Source: Air & Space Forces Magazine.
