WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force plans to select multiple companies to each build several satellites as part of a proliferated network of surveillance sensors in geostationary orbit.
Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy, the Space Force’s top acquisition official, said July 22 the service is going with a multi-vendor approach for the next-generation space surveillance constellation. The goal is to replace the Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program constellation with commercially developed alternatives. The current GSSAP system consists of bespoke satellites built by Northrop Grumman.
Rather than having a few “exquisite” satellites,” the Space Force plans to deploy large numbers of smaller, less expensive spacecraft, Purdy said at the Space Foundation’s “Innovate Space” event held at Amazon’s headquarters in Arlington, Virginia.
The new procurement, named Geosynchronous Reconnaissance & Surveillance Constellation, or RG-XX, represents the Space Force’s transition to a satellite acquisition model that leverages commercial technologies from the private sector. Purdy, who serves as the acting assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition and integration, described the strategy as introducing commercial solutions to a high-value military function while opening opportunities for new players in the national security space market.
The shift addresses a traditionally sensitive military capability. GSSAP satellites operate in near-geosynchronous orbit — about 22,000 miles above Earth—where they track, characterize and monitor objects in space, a function previously considered too sensitive to entrust to commercial providers.
That mindset is changing as the Space Force embraces what officials call a “proliferated” architecture — deploying larger numbers of smaller, interconnected satellites rather than relying on a few highly capable but expensive platforms.
The Space Systems Command will hold an RG-XX Industry Day on August 5 in Los Angeles to discuss plans for the next-generation constellation that will provide reconnaissance and surveillance of objects in and around the geostationary belt.
Following a review of requirements for what comes after GSSAP, DoD and Space Force leadership agreed to transition to commercially based satellites, Purdy said. “We were able to go to industry with an unclassified discussion of what we wanted to build, an unclassified program that was accessible for foreign military sales, accessible to international allies.”
Industry interest has been substantial, with at least 50 to 60 companies expressing interest in the program, according to Purdy. “It’s got huge attention, because we’re talking about proliferating. We’re talking about having multiple companies as the end winners, with multiple satellites each.”
The RG-XX initiative, he said, reflects broader policy pressures driving military space acquisition reform. Lawmakers have increasingly pushed for changes to better leverage private sector investments, while executive orders from the Trump administration have directed greater use of commercial technologies. The Pentagon has also been pushing military services to reform their procurement practices.
‘Growing push’ for reforms
Lt. Col. Timothy Trimailo, director of the Commercial Space Office at Space Systems Command, described the momentum behind commercial integration. There is “a growing push from Capitol Hill, the White House, the Pentagon, all the way down to the field commands really driving to push commercial capabilities into the architecture,” he said at the conference.
His office, known as COMSO, faces the challenge of integrating commercial space technologies into military programs, which “can be easier said than done,” Trimailo acknowledged.
“It’s no longer just augmentation,” he said of commercial technology. “It’s no longer just kind of that nice thing off to the side.”
“Our national leadership is telling us: ‘as you procure your next generation of systems for our defense, you must consider commercial first when you do your market research, when you build your acquisition strategies, and when you procure those systems,'” Trimailo added.
While expressing optimism about the Space Force’s ability to integrate commercial technology “into every single mission area,” Trimailo acknowledged significant challenges remain. “We continue to struggle with being transparent between the government and commercial partners, giving them access to information about what we actually need, and sending a clear and consistent demand signal for the requirements.”
Integration presents the most difficult hurdle, according to Trimailo. “Integrating commercial capabilities is not easy. There’s no magic to it. We’re not going to wipe the slate clean with the architecture, start fresh and just buy commercial capabilities. That’s just unrealistic. So as we’re buying commercial capabilities, we have to find ways that it fits with and alongside our traditional government mission sets.”
Nevertheless, Trimailo insisted, “I believe integrating commercial capability into the DoD space architecture is no longer optional. It’s an imperative. The amount of investment we’re seeing across the global space private industry, from our allied partners, is pretty staggering.”