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RDT&E Program Element · President's Budget PB2027

Satcom MUOS

PE 1203109SF·U.S. Space Force·Approp. 3620F — RDT&E·BA7 — Operational System Development
FY2027 Request
$855.9M
⚑ Contested — House approps cuts 40%
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U.S. Space Force funding ramps 106% to a $855.9M request in FY2027 — the program's peak, before stepping down 76% across the five-year plan. In the FY2027 defense authorization, the House funded it in full; the Senate funded it in full; House appropriators cut 40% (to $515.9M). General Dynamics leads the industry work.

FY2027 Request
$855.9M
▲ 106% vs FY2026
House approps mark
$515.9M
▼ $340.0M vs request
FY2026 Enacted
$415.4M
In law

For fiscal year 2027, the U.S. Space Force is requesting $855.9M for Satcom MUOS under RDT&E program element 1203109SF, up 106% over FY2026. In the FY2027 defense authorization, House approps moved to cut it to $515.9M.

Funding trajectory

Funding profile, FY2025–FY2031

Prior years are actuals, the budget year is the request, and the outyears are the FYDP plan. Estimate types are colored and never summed into one figure.

2505007500194.8FY25ACTUAL415.4FY26ENACTED855.9FY27REQUEST683.8FY28555.5FY29321.1FY30203.2FY31HOUSE APPROPS
Actual Enacted Request Outyear (FYDP) House approps mark
Fiscal YearEstimate TypeAmount ($M)
FY2025Actual194.8
FY2026Enacted415.4
FY2027Request855.9
FY2028Outyear683.8
FY2029Outyear555.5
FY2030Outyear321.1
FY2031Outyear203.2
Where it sits

Acquisition lifecycle

This program is funded in RDT&E Budget Activity 7 — Operational System Development.

Complete
Research
BA 1–2
Complete
Advanced Technology
BA 3
Complete
Prototyping
BA 4
Current
Development & Fielding
BA 5–7
Inside the program element

1 project rolls up into PE 1203109SF

Projects are the summable leaves — the PE total is their sum, never added to it. Program elements and projects carry the full five-year plan; activities stop at the budget year. This PE moves 106% overall, which can hide much larger swings below.

Project 673109

SATCOM MUOS

$855.9MFY2027 request ▲ 106%
FY2025 actual$194.8M
FY2026 enacted$415.4M
FY2027 request$855.9M
Product DevelopmentManagement Services

The Narrowband Satellite Communications (SATCOM) Program office is developing Narrowband Satellite Communications (Project 1203109SF) for Guardians across the SATCOM mission area. As a result, the Service will improve readiness and operational reach of existing force structure, and deliver resilient Infrastructure, equipment, and personnel. Narrowband Satellite Communications provides a worldwide, multi-service population of mobile and fixed-site terminal users with Ultra High Frequency (UHF) Narrowband, beyond line of sight satellite communications (SATCOM). Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) significantly increases performance and capacity in support of critical Combatant Command SATCOM priorities. MUOS is the replacement system for the UHF Follow-on (UFO) system, which is currently beyond its design life. MUOS is comprised of Space, Ground, and User Entry Segments. The Space Segment consists of five geosynchronous satellites to support a four satellite constellation over the intended service life. Each satellite provides a legacy UHF payload that is backward compatible with UFO, and a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) payload that provides cellular-like capability. MUOS reached full operational capability in October 2019. The Ground Segment consists of four world-wide Radio Access Facilities (RAFs) and two satellite control facilities. Each RAF includes three 60 ft. antennas and numerous equipment racks. The RAFs in Hawaii and Virginia each include a Switching Facility (SF), and the RAF in Hawaii includes a Network Management Facility (NMF). The User Entry Segment consists of the MUOS waveform that is ultimately integrated into MUOS-capable terminals which are fielded by the services. In addition to providing UHF SATCOM for the Department of War (DoW), the USSF has the overall responsibility to deliver the End-to-End (E2E) MUOS capability to the warfighter. This responsibility involves systems engineering, integration, network management, and test management of all MUOS system-of-system components. A Department of War Chief Information Officer assessment of anticipated narrowband satellite communication availability led to the Office of Under Secretary of War (OUSW) Acquisitions & Sustainment recommendation to initiate MUOS Service Life Extension (SLE) to acquire and launch two additional MUOS satellites (without legacy payloads).

Accomplishments / planned programs (R-2A) — prior, current and budget year only
Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) Baseline Upgrade▼ 23%
FY2025 actual$21.7M
FY2026 enacted$26.7M
FY2027 request$20.6M

Complete baseline systems engineering, system optimization, cybersecurity updates, and EMI mitigation efforts to ensure capacity is available to the end user, including the development and fielding of EMI mitigation solutions and inclination control and eclipse contingency studies for the space segment. Complete baseline E2E MUOS…

Read the FY2027 plan →
Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) Service Life Extension (SLE)▲ 115%
FY2025 actual$173.1M
FY2026 enacted$388.7M
FY2027 request$835.3M

Conduct and complete the Final Design Review (FDR) for MUOS Space Vehicle (SV) 6 and 7. Continue acquiring long-lead materials for MUOS SV 6 and 7. Conduct Manufacturing Readiness Review for MUOS SV 6. Start production of MUOS SV 6. Retrofit technologies to be interoperable with the Baseline Space MUOS (1-5) system while modernizing…

Read the FY2027 plan →
The whole program

MUOS is funded on 2 lines across 2 appropriations

This page shows $855.9M of MUOS, 94% of the program's $906.5M FY2027 request. The rest is appropriated elsewhere.

Also funded hereTypeComponentFY2027 $M
Mobile User Objective SystemProcurementSpace Force50.6
MUOS totalSpace Force906.5

Lines whose title names the program. 53 further lines only mention MUOS in their justification text — those fund something else and are deliberately excluded from the total.

Congressional action

The request is contested

Committee marks on the FY2027 request. Adds and cuts are reconciled in conference before they become law.

RequestPresident's Budget
$855.9M
House NDAA (HASC)HASC
$855.9M full · +$0
Senate NDAA (SASC)SASC
$855.9M full · +$0
House Approps (HAC-D)HAC_D
$515.9M −$340.0M · −40%
▲ $340.0M chamber gap — unresolved as of 2026-07-27. These are FY2027 authorization marks (NDAA); appropriations and the conference agreement may differ.
Who's building it

Where the FY2027 request goes

Performers named in the R-3 exhibit, resolved into industry, government-lab, and unspecified shares. Budget-justification contract funding, not obligations.

General Dynamics
$144.3M · 17%
Service Life Extension (SLE) Ground Engineering Contract · Various
Where FY2027 funding flowsShare$M
Industry primes17%144.3
Government labs & warfare centers1.3%10.9
Other / unspecified82%700.7
FY2027 request100%855.9
See General Dynamics's full federal contract ledger members →
Program detail

Mission & acquisition strategy

The Narrowband Satellite Communications (SATCOM) Program office is developing Narrowband Satellite Communications (Project 1203109SF) for Guardians across the SATCOM mission area. As a result, the Service will improve readiness and operational reach of existing force structure, and deliver resilient Infrastructure, equipment, and personnel. Narrowband Satellite Communications provides a worldwide, multi-service population of mobile and fixed-site terminal users with Ultra High Frequency (UHF) Narrowband, beyond line of sight satellite communications (SATCOM).

Space Force will use existing MUOS Capability Production Document (CPD) requirements when developing two operationally similar SLE satellites. On 14 Apr 2022 the program competitively awarded technical and trade studies contracts to three vendors to inform program plans and understanding of required engineering design changes and potential trades. The Service Acquisition Executive approved the program's acquisition strategy on 14 Sep 2022 as a Major Capability Acquisition pathway, post-Milestone C program, and the program is executing to plan. On 2 Feb 2024, the program competitively awarded contracts to two vendors for early design and risk reduction for MUOS SVs 6 and 7.

Project 673109 — SATCOM MUOS
  • Product Development
  • Management Services
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Answers are generated from the figures on this page — the FY2027 justification exhibits and the marks tracked above — and nothing else is consulted. Confirm any figure against the cited exhibit before you use it externally.

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Questions this page can answer
How does the FY2027 request compare with FY2026, and what does the five-year plan show?What did House approps do to this request, and what is still unresolved?How is the FY2027 request split between industry and government performers?In plain terms, what is this program element for and how is it being acquired?
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This page carries the budget justification and the NDAA marks — nothing else. For what General Dynamics has actually been obligated, the ledger is at hitchintel.com/vendors; for live solicitations, hitchintel.com/opportunities. Both are member surfaces.

Provenance

Cite this page

Sources
FY2027 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification · Exhibits R-2 / R-3 · PE 1203109SF (President's Budget PB2027) — and FY2027 NDAA committee marks, as tracked 2026-07-27.
Suggested citation
HitchAI, "Satcom MUOS (PE 1203109SF)," federal budget intelligence, PB2027 vintage. hitchintel.com/programs/1203109SF
Machine access
Markdown twin /programs/1203109SF.md · MCP mcp.hitchintel.com → budget_get_program_element, budget_get_cong_marks