Key Takeaways:

• SDA is building a constellation of satellites with onboard mission applications in low-Earth orbit called the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture for on-orbit processing of warfighting data, as part of the CJADC2 -- or combined joint all-domain command and control -- strategy for the Department of Defense.
• The Application Factory we are helping to build for SDA will provide a secure and repeatable pipeline through which third-party applications undergo software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop testing and are cyber validated for on-orbit operation.
• SDA selected SAIC to execute on the Application Factory with an innovative approach weaving our software, cyber, secure cloud, engineering and systems integration expertise.

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Our nation faces increasingly sophisticated missile threats that include hypersonics. Rapidly accelerating the timeline for detection and tracking is critical to outpacing the threat. Space Development Agency (SDA) is building a multi-layered network of several hundred low-Earth orbit (LEO) assets to deliver capability at speed to the warfighter.

SDA calls this constellation of inter-connected satellites the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA). It will provide full coverage over the globe and perform on-orbit processing of target and BMC3 data — short for battle management, command, control and communications — as opposed to sending data to ground stations, enabling accelerated operational decision-making. The PWSA is an important component of the Department of Defense’s combined joint all-domain command and control (CJADC2) strategy of interconnected battle management networks among its armed forces.

Establishing a pipeline for PWSA mission application development

The Transport Layer satellites will run a range of BMC3 software applications. SDA has tasked SAIC to establish a secure software development factory for rapid fielding of the on-orbit applications. We will develop, implement and maintain the cloud-based, secure BMC3 Application Factory with hardware-in-the-loop and software-in-the-loop testing capabilities.

SDA’s on-orbit assets are being built by multiple vendors, so as part of our work to build and deliver the BMC3 Application Factory, we are developing what is called the secure interoperable layer (SIL). The SIL will be composed of middleware that ensures mission applications, which will come from many developers, can operate on the various satellite providers’ hardware.

“The SIL will sit aboard the BMC3 module on each Transport Layer satellite in the PWSA constellation. The middleware will provide a common platform on which all applications will run,” said Praveen Kurian, SAIC’s VP of defense space. “It’s similar to the modern App Store model, where app development can be done by third parties and run on multiple hardware variants.”

The development, security and operations (DevSecOps) process will give SDA and its ecosystem of BMC3 mission application providers a highly secure and repeatable pipeline through which applications undergo software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop testing and are cyber validated. From there, the applications will be pushed to a test satellite for final on-orbit checks for functionality and integration and then fielded across the PWSA constellation.

It is intended for the Application Factory to begin receiving and testing BMC3 mission applications within the next several years. Some of the factory’s capabilities include source code scanning for cyber vulnerabilities and DevSecOps automation to ensure repeatability as application developers are guided through the pipeline.

Taking advantage of synergistic development opportunities

The BMC3 Application Factory is being built on Cloud One, the Department of Defense’s enterprise cloud. SAIC is the prime industry partner on Cloud One, supporting the delivery, operation and management of secure computing environments and applications for mission owners.

“There will be opportunities to leverage inter-program synergies, including software and infrastructure assets, digital engineering work and best-practice approaches from Cloud One and our other CJADC2-related customer efforts,” said Andrew Sullivan, senior program director who is managing the Application Factory effort. “The work has given SAIC the experience, knowledge, technologies and tools that will enable us to deliver the factory on secure cloud as well as the secure interoperable layer for SDA.”

SDA selected SAIC to execute on the Application Factory with an innovative approach weaving our software, cyber, secure cloud, engineering and systems integration expertise.

“Our customer expects us to bring the power of the SAIC enterprise to deliver a high-fidelity capability on orbit and on schedule and meet the critical needs of warfighters,” Kurian said. “We are leveraging our proven DevSecOps, enterprise IT and CJADC2-oriented program capabilities. As an integrator, we are uniquely suited to bringing all the components together for success.”

Our work will result in the ability to rapidly deliver and upgrade applications on SDA’s satellites and help the U.S. Space Force adapt to evolving threats and needs. Processing critical data on orbit and moving it directly into theater for our warfighters around the world will provide accelerated missile warning as well as improved and more unified situational awareness for the range of defense responses.

Learn more about how we support customers with solutions and capabilities for CJADC2 at SAIC's CJADC2 page.