The Space Development Agency (SDA) has awarded a $2 million contract to radar imaging satellite operator Umbra as part of a study to assess how the company’s satellites could integrate into the military’s next-generation satellite network.
The military has been using commercial providers such as Capella, Black Sky, and Hawkeye 360 for some time but this will be the first time that a commercial system will be integrated directly into a military network known as the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA). Any commercial satellites added to the network would need to have optical links compatible with the PWSA to ensure seamless data transfer to military users.
While the integration of commercial space capabilities alongside military capabilities is essential in a conflict against a peer level adversary such as China, commercial systems have not traditionally, been able to network directly into military networks. Doing so with with Umbra satellites will require an extensive review of Umbra’s cybersecurity policies and an in-depth validation of Umbra’s supply chain down to the lowest level to guard against supply chain attack. Any vulnerability with Umbra’s ground of space systems that could allow an adversary access could potentially be used to pivot into sensitive military systems leading to a larger compromise of critical military space systems.