Satellite Control Network (SPACE)

Satellite Control Network (SCN) under the Air Force's Research, Development, Test & Evaluation budget activity, aims to enhance and modernize the satellite ground terminal network to ensure global coverage for over 170 satellites in various orbits. The program supports routine and emergency satellite operations for the Department of Defense (DoD), Intelligence Community (IC), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) operations. Additionally, it focuses on developing the objective meshONE-Terrestrial (meshONE-T) data transport network and providing support for initial operations of Federal Augmentation Services capabilities. These efforts include cyber-secure mission data transport, enterprise transmit and receive solutions, and satellite command and control augmentation services to address early integration and security concerns while providing increased capacity to reduce congestion on the SCN.

The program's specific objectives include developing a cyber-secure mission data transport network architecture and infrastructure to support worldwide ground communications transport for USSF, other DoD Services, Intelligence Community, and Joint All-Domain Command and Control. It also aims to provide enterprise transmit, receive, and resource management solutions to enable continuous satellite operations from benign to contested environments as part of Ground Enterprise Next (GEN) efforts. Furthermore, the program seeks to augment SCN capabilities with both Federal and commercial satellite command and control services in a phased approach to address early integration and security concerns while providing increased capacity to reduce congestion on the SCN. These objectives align with the program's focus on enhancing cyber-secure mission data transport, improving satellite operations transmit and receive capabilities, and augmenting satellite command and control services to meet evolving future space demands.