Biden Administration

DoD Agencies to Invest Over $1 Billion in Low-Earth Orbit Space Technologies

June 12, 2021
ExoNews Editor

Article by Sandra Erwin May 30, 2021 (spacenews.com)

• According to budget documents released May 28th, of the $1.2 billion defense budget proposed by the Biden administration for fiscal year 2022, $936.7 million is earmarked for the Space Development Agency’s communications network in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) known as the ‘Transport Layer’. The Missile Defense Agency is seeking about $292.8 million for space sensors, and the DARPA is requesting $42 million to deploy experimental satellites in LEO under the Blackjack program.

• These agencies report to the Office of the Secretary of Defense and are not part of Space Force, which has its own budget for research, development and procurement of new systems. But many of the LEO technologies developed by SDA, MDA and DARPA are expected to transition into larger Space Force programs.

• Of the $936.7 million for the Space Development Agency, $808.8 million goes for research, development, testing and evaluation (RDT&E), $53.8 million for operations and maintenance, and $74 million for procurement. This is a $600 million increase from 2021 and is the first time that SDA gets a separate funding line for procurement. With this budget, the SDA can move ahead with a demonstration of SDA’s first 28 satellites in the Transport Layer in 2022. This will be followed by the procurement of up to 150 Transport Layer satellites to launch in 2024.

• The $292.8 million for the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) includes funding to allow hypersonic and ballistic tracking space sensor payloads to be launched to a low orbit in fiscal year 2023 as well as ground systems. This data would be used to track the trajectory of a maneuvering hypersonic missile so it can be intercepted. Two existing missile-tracking satellites in LEO that were launched in 2009 will be taken out of service. The MDA is also requesting $32 million for the Spacebased Kill Assessment (SKA) project, which uses a network of infrared satellite sensors to assess the performance of MDA’s interceptors.

• DARPA (the Defense Advanced research Projects Agency) is requesting $42 million to continue the Blackjack project to demonstrate the military utility of small satellites in LEO to provide communications, missile warning and navigation. Since 2018, the agency has awarded contracts to multiple vendors for satellite buses, payloads and an autonomous computing system to operate the constellation. DARPA wants to deploy as many as 20 satellites to demonstrate that a common satellite bus (launch) can be flown with different payloads and that a constellation can be operated autonomously.

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration’s defense budget proposal for fiscal year 2022 seeks more than $1.2 billion for military space systems in low-Earth orbit.

According to budget documents released May 28, nearly $900 million of that investment is for the Space Development Agency’s communications network in low-Earth orbit (LEO) known as the Transport Layer. The Missile Defense Agency is seeking about $300 million for space sensors, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is requesting $42 million to deploy experimental satellites in LEO under the Blackjack program.

These agencies report to the Office of the Secretary of Defense and are not part of the U.S. Space Force, which has its own budget for research, development and procurement of new systems. But many of the LEO technologies developed by SDA, MDA and DARPA are expected to transition into larger Space Force programs.

**Biden sniffing out more money for the defense budget**

Space Development Agency

The Pentagon is seeking $936.7 million in 2022 for the SDA, about a $600 million increase from 2021. That includes $808.8 million for research, development, testing and evaluation (RDT&E), $53.8 million for operations and maintenance, and $74 million for procurement.
This is the first time that SDA gets a separate funding line for procurement.

The agency’s large spending boost was expected for 2022 as SDA prepares to launch the first batch of its Transport Layer satellites and moves ahead with the procurement of up to 150 satellites that would launch in 2024.

The 2022 request funds the demonstration of SDA’s first 28 satellites — 20 Transport Layer Tranche 0 satellites and eight wide-field-of-view space sensors to detect and track ballistic and hypersonic missiles known as Tracking Layer Tranche 0.

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Military and Intelligence Agencies ‘Stonewalling’ UFO Report

April 10, 2021
ExoNews Editor

Article by Jazz Shaw March 26, 2021 (hotair.com)

• A directive from the Senate Select Intelligence Committee requested that the Pentagon’s Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon (UAP) Task Force produce a report on the military’s investigations into UFOs. The effort was spearheaded by Senator Marco Rubio (R – Florida) with a deadline of June 25, 2021.

• But just having Congress tell the Pentagon that they’d like a report in 180 days has never guaranteed that anything would actually happen. The Pentagon has always had the option to take more time to complete their examination of the UFO data – a lot more time. The Task Force is currently being stonewalled by multiple military and intelligence agencies who are refusing to cooperate. Assembling a useful report of the type the Senate requested could prove impossible. As a result, the Biden administration will likely delay the much-anticipated public report to Congress.

• This strikes a far less optimistic tone than that taken by former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe on Fox News recently. Racliffe indicated that there were all sorts of information on the verge of being declassified and that the Senate Committee report was on the way. He said that he himself had been working to declassify much of this information, but they simply ran out of time. Was Ratcliffe out of the loop or has there been a significant change in policy toward UAP secrecy since the start of the Biden administration?

• Even more disappointing is the possibility that there may never be a report at all. The UAP Task Force has hit a ‘wall of silence’ as the FBI, CIA, DIA and DARPA have all reportedly been either dragging their feet or ignoring the Task Force’s requests. The Air Force has flatly refused to turn over any records of UFO/UAP investigations to the Task Force, instead referring curious reporters to the Pentagon. In turn, the Pentagon refers them to spokeswoman Susan Gough who always provides the same worthless response: “…[W]e do not publicly discuss the details of the UAP observations, the task force or investigations.” We already knew that they wouldn’t release any details to the press, but could they really be willing to tell the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence to stick it where the sun doesn’t shine? Apparently, they think they can.

• The obvious solution to this logjam is the President of the United States as the final arbiter of what can be classified or declassified with a stroke of the pen. If Biden went to each of the intelligence agencies and military branches and told them to give up the goods to the Task Force, they would have to comply. If that failed, Biden could just start firing them and replacing them with people more willing to follow orders and respect the chain of command. Biden has talked a good game in the past about the need for government transparency. It would indeed be impressive if he stepped up to the plate and not only made this report happen, but ordered it declassified so the public could find out what the heck is going on.

Last December we discussed a directive from the Senate Select Intelligence Committee for the

Pentagon’s Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon (UAP) Task Force to produce a report on the military’s investigations into unknown vehicles (UFOs, obviously) intruding into restricted airspace. The order was included in the annual Intelligence Authorization Act and the effort was spearheaded by Senator Marco Rubio (R – Florida). The report was supposed to be delivered within 180 days of the signing of the IAA, putting the deadline at June 25, 2021.

Sadly, the chances of the UAP Task Force meeting that deadline are now looking quite unlikely, assuming they’re able to ever produce the report at all. As Politico is reporting this week, the Task Force is being effectively stonewalled by multiple military and intelligence agencies who are resisting requests for classified materials or, in some cases, flatly refusing to cooperate. And without that cooperation, assembling an actually useful report of the type the Senate requested could prove impossible.

The truth may be out there. But don’t expect the feds to share what they know anytime soon on the recent spate of UFO sightings.

Some military and spy agencies are blocking or simply ignoring the effort to catalog what they have on “unidentified aerial phenomenon,” according to multiple current and former government officials. And as a result, the Biden administration will likely delay a much-anticipated public report to Congress…

“Just getting access to the information, because of all the different security bureaucracies, that’s an ordeal in itself,” said Christopher Mellon, a former Pentagon intelligence official who lobbied for the disclosure provision and is continuing to advise policymakers on the issue.

While this is highly disappointing, I’m not going to act like I’m surprised. I expressed my concerns over this specific scenario back in December.

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Does Biden Take Space Seriously?

March 23, 2021
ExoNews Editor

Article by Charles Beams March 12, 2021 (politico.com)

• In 2017, President Trump resurrected the National Space Council where senior government and industry leadership would plan and organize the U.S. and the world roles in a new ‘space century’. Putting the Vice President in charge was vital to the council’s integrity. Now, the Biden administration’s decision to assign oversight of space to the National Security Council has fueled speculation that the high-level National Space Council will be discontinued.

• Does Administrator Biden and his senior advisers truly appreciate the gravity of the situation and the opportunities before us in the final frontier? Seventeen industry groups representing hundreds of companies critical to our nation’s space future have recently endorsed keeping the National Space Council. They says that retaining the council “will provide stability and continuity to the United States’ space endeavors, enabling historic exploration and scientific achievement”. Its continuation would reflect that space is indeed a real priority.

• Serious questions regarding space need to be addressed in the next few years. These will require senior attention and active support across the Executive Branch. Should one person, ie: Elon Musk, monopolize the commercial space sector? Or should it be regulated to encourage small business growth in space? How should we encourage fair play among nations in space? How should we respond to anti-competitive Chinese business practices? And how can we prevent the growing menace of space debris from inhibiting future generations’ expansion into space?

• One specific policy issue that the National Space Council would manage is the evolution of the United States Space Force. Space Force is charged with protecting and ensuring free and fair access to space and defending contested domains where commercial companies and developing nations are increasingly operating. Space Force must create a culture to recruit and retain world class intellects and leaders to guide a developing military domain that is more defined by artificial intelligence, autonomous robotics and machine learning, than bullets and bombs. In the coming decades, Space Force must become a military service that understands, partners with, and sometimes puts commercial and civil needs before warfighting requirements. Guidance from the highest levels is essential for the Space Force to be successful.

• To date, however, no senior appointees have been nominated for the most senior space positions, including the NASA administrator or the space policy and space acquisition positions in the Pentagon. Without the high-level attention of a strong National Space Council, low earth orbit will become a no man’s land of discarded satellite and rocket debris, exploited only by the ultra-wealthy. The unique ability of the space sector to promote commerce, enhance international trade, strengthen diplomacy, and prevent military conflict will be lost.

• If the Biden administration cannot see the value in the National Space Council to lead a coherent space policy for a new century, it should disband it. Pretending it is important while assigning it no clear purpose would be a waste of time and resources, and actually hamper progress in space. The decisions the Biden administration makes regarding the National Space Council, Space Force, NASA and commercial space policies will determine whether space will remain a safe, nonpartisan domain for an economy to flourish or will become an inhospitable orbital minefield where only military hegemons joust for supremacy.

The early signs coming from the Biden administration have more than a few of us

worried about its approach to space policy.

The decision to assign oversight of space to the National Security Council has fueled speculation that the high-level National Space Council will be discontinued. And it comes at a time when a similar lack of seriousness by White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki and her flippant comments about the Space Force are playing out in the media.

The two recent events beg the question: do President Joe Biden and his senior advisers truly appreciate the gravity of the situation and the opportunities before us in the final frontier?

The rumors of dismantling of the National Space Council should give us all pause. Resurrecting the council in 2017 and putting the vice president in charge was vital to focusing senior government and industry leadership on organizing the U.S. and the world for a space century.

Which is exactly why 17 industry groups representing hundreds of companies critical to our nation’s space future have recently endorsed keeping it. Retaining the council “will provide stability and continuity to the United States’ space endeavors, enabling historic exploration and scientific achievement,” they wrote in their letter to President Biden’s chief of staff. Its continuation would reflect that space is a real priority for our new president.

Serious space questions need to be addressed in the next few years that require senior attention and active support across the executive branch.

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Poll Shows Public’s Priorities in Space

March 9, 2021
ExoNews Editor

Article by Marcia Smith February 25, 2021 (spacepolicyonline.com)

• A survey of 2,200 American adults conducted February 12-15, 2021 by ‘Morning Consult’ ranked space research and exploration 25th in a list of 26 priorities for the Biden Administration. It appears that the public wants the government to focus its space research agenda on monitoring Earth’s climate, and not human exploration of the Moon and Mars. But a he same time, the public also wants the U.S. to keep its competitive edge in space over countries like Russia and China. Ranking the most threatening countries in space, respondents viewed China the biggest threat to the U.S at 52 percent, Russia next at 45 percent, North Korea at 34 percent, and Iran at 30 percent.

• With regard to activities in space, monitoring the Earth’s climate system is the top priority 35 percent of those surveyed. In second place is monitoring asteroids that might threaten Earth and third was developing technologies that could be used broadly, not only for space. At the bottom of the list of 10 possible priorities was sending civilians to the Moon or Mars, which was a priority for only 6 percent of the people polled. The public is slightly more amenable to sending professional astronauts to the Moon or to Mars, but not civilians.

• Regarding NASA’s Artemis program aiming to return people to the Moon and go on to Mars, only 33 percent of the participants rate the Moon goal as a top or important priority and 24 percent for Mars. When considering Jared Isaacman’s proposal to hold a lottery for people to join him on Inspiration4 in a space flight (see previous ExoArticle), 58 percent said they were unlikely to travel to space even if price was no object. Most of those polled supported Biden’s decision to keep the US Space Force many said they did not know as they felt they weren’t “up to speed” on the government’s space efforts.

A new poll from Morning Consult finds that the public wants the government to focus its space research agenda on monitoring Earth’s climate, not human exploration of the Moon and Mars. Overall it ranked space research and exploration 25th in a list of 26 priorities for the Biden Administration. However, it also wants the United States to keep its competitive edge in space over countries like Russia and China.

The top priority was monitoring Earth’s climate system for 35 percent of those surveyed, while it was “important, but lower priority” for 28 percent, “not too important of a priority” for 18 percent, “should not be done” for 7 percent, and “don’t know/no opinion” for 11 percent.

Second was monitoring asteroids that might threaten Earth and third was developing technologies that could be used broadly, not only for space.

At the bottom of the list of 10 possible priorities was sending civilians to the Moon or Mars. That was a top priority for just 6 percent, important for 18 percent, not too important for 39 percent, should not be done for 24 percent, and 12 percent did not know or had no opinion.

Ranking just above that was sending “astronauts” to the Moon or to Mars, which apparently refers to professional astronauts as compared to the general public. NASA is embarked on the Artemis program with commercial and international partners to return people to the Moon and go on to Mars, although according to this survey only 33 percent rate the Moon goal as a top or important priority and 24 percent for Mars.

Also of interest, especially as entrepreneur Jared Isaacman is testing the waters of public interest in flying into space by choosing a person by lottery to join him on Inspiration4, of those surveyed 58 percent said they were unlikely to travel to space themselves even if price was no object.

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Tag: Biden Administration

DoD Agencies to Invest Over $1 Billion in Low-Earth Orbit Space Technologies

Military and Intelligence Agencies ‘Stonewalling’ UFO Report

Does Biden Take Space Seriously?

Poll Shows Public’s Priorities in Space