Commercial Services

The Commercial Services program, under Program Element (PE) 1206771SF, is managed by the U.S. Space Force (USSF) and funded through the Air Force's Research, Development, Test & Evaluation (RDT&E) appropriation. Its primary goal is to deliver integrated, effective, efficient, and resilient commercial space capabilities to support warfighters, aligning with both the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) Commercial Space Integration Strategy and the USSF's Commercial Space Strategy. The program identifies capability needs within USSF mission architectures that can be fulfilled by commercial providers. It integrates viable commercial solutions and ensures these capabilities are reliable, available, resilient, and interoperable for military operations across the spectrum of conflict.

Within PE 1206771SF, two major budget lines are funded: Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve (CASR) and Commercial Capability Integration. CASR is a new initiative designed to establish a contractually managed framework that ensures DoD access to commercial space capabilities during both peacetime and conflict. The program builds relationships with industry, integrates commercial providers into the CASR framework, and supports activities such as threat sharing, wargaming, readiness inspections, and incentives for participating companies. CASR aims to ensure surge capacity by leveraging commercial assets already on orbit, augmenting USSF missions, and enabling rapid acquisition of satellites, payloads, and launch vehicles as needed.

CASR specifically focuses on integrating commercial capabilities into USSF operations and assuring their availability during crises. Funding supports baseline operating costs, threat sharing, wargaming, readiness programs, and incentives for commercial participants. CASR activities include integrating alternate Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) constellations to complement GPS, demonstrating space superiority operations with on-orbit assets, and advancing multi-domain awareness and cyber capabilities. The acquisition strategy involves modifying existing commercial contracts, utilizing vehicles such as SpaceWERX STRATFI, Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase III contracts, and Other Transactional Authority (OTA) agreements.

Commercial Capability Integration funds the Commercial Space Office (COMSO) to rapidly identify, contract, and integrate commercial space solutions that address gaps in USSF mission areas. The focus is on areas such as space sensing, multi-domain awareness, Space-Based Environmental Monitoring (SBEM), alternate PNT, Space Domain Awareness (SDA), and Space Access, Mobility, and Logistics (SAML). The program supports operations like the SSC Front Door, SpaceWERX, the Commercial SATCOM Office (CSCO), and CASR, with activities including technical analysis, risk reduction, prototyping, and leveraging partnerships to respond to emerging threats.

Congressional adds in FY 2024 and FY 2025 have further expanded Commercial Capability Integration efforts, specifically funding space-based monitoring over the U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) Area of Responsibility and direct commercial surveillance, reconnaissance, and tracking services for Combatant Commands (CCMDs). These initiatives deliver unclassified, fully releasable commercial sensing and analytics capabilities, operational planning products, and support the development of new automation and analysis techniques to improve response times for CCMDs. The program also ensures these capabilities can be surged during crises through integration with CASR.

Both CASR and Commercial Capability Integration utilize a variety of contracting strategies to expedite the delivery of commercial solutions, including leveraging SBIR/STTR funding, OTA agreements, and strategic finance increases. The programs are designed to foster innovation, enhance system resiliency, and ensure operational utility in contested environments. Funding also supports civilian pay expenses required to manage, execute, and deliver these capabilities, supplementing other program elements as necessary.