Space Systems Command’s Resilient GPS Project Fast-Tracked in ‘Quick Start’ Initiative

Photo Credit: John Ayre, DVIDs. The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.

On April 16, 2024, the U.S. Air Force announced two programs to be accelerated under a new authority in the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act known as “Quick Start.” Resilient GPS, a project under the Space Enterprise Consortium (SpEC) Other Transaction Authority (OTA), sponsored by the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC), was one of these programs.

Department of the Air Force officials have stated that the two projects were selected because of their “potential to benefit all the armed forces and the technological leaps they would provide.”

Under the “Quick Start” initiative, projects addressing threats or leveraging new technologies, like Resilient GPS, can be accelerated ahead of traditional approval processes. The ultimate goal of the program is to identify sources for development, integration, and delivery for launch of a set of rapidly-produced, resilient GPS navigation satellites with an objective to significantly reduce Size, Weight, Power, and Cost (SWaP-C), reduce production time, reduce time to orbit, optimize/maximize satellites per launch, and broaden launch vehicle compatibility.

On March 14, 2024, SpEC (managed by National Security Technology Accelerator (NSTXL)), planned, organized, and executed an in-person Industry Day for Resilient GPS in less than 6 days. The speed of delivery was vital for the success of this urgent Government need. This Industry Day was held in Los Angeles on March 14 to raise awareness and gauge industry interest in the project, with close to 30 different organizations in attending attendance.

The final RPP was released to SpEC members on June 7, 2024 and submissions are due by July 12. Once submissions close, an award is expected to be made on an expedited timeline. SpEC will be hosting another virtual Industry Day on June 18, 2024 at 11AM PT for those interested. The “Quick Start” initiative, along with the SpEC team’s rapid response, is equipping the Department of the Air Force with essential tools to preemptively counter the urgent threats in the U.S. space domain. To learn more about the Resilient GPS opportunity, please visit https://nstxl.org/opportunity/gps-lite/ (member login required). For SpEC membership, apply at https://space-enterprise.org/spec-membership/.

About SpEC

The Space Enterprise Consortium (SpEC) was created in 2017 to bridge the cultural gap between military buyers and commercial space startups and small businesses through Other Transaction Authorities (OTA). The OTA innovative contracting process allows SpEC to solicit bids from a mix of member companies including companies that have not previously done work with the Department of Defense. SSC recently awarded management of the SpEC OTA to NSTXL to expedite the contracting between government and industry. NSTXL is focused on building a network of innovators and creators across the most sought-after emerging technology fields.