# R&D Space & Missile Operations — Program Element 1203173SF

**Program element:** 1203173SF  
**Component:** U.S. Space Force  
**Appropriation:** 3620F — RDT&E, Space Force  
**Budget Activity:** 7 — Operational System Development  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/1203173SF

## Summary

U.S. Space Force requests $22.5M in FY2027, sustained across the five-year plan. In the FY2027 defense authorization, the House funded it in full; the Senate funded it in full; House appropriators funded it in full. a.i. solutions leads the industry work.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 20.4 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 21.9 |
| FY2027 | Request | 22.5 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 23.0 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 23.4 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 23.8 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 24.2 |

> Estimate types are not summed — the profile mixes actuals, enacted law, the request, and outyear projections.

## Congressional marks (FY2027)

| Stage | Marked ($M) | Change ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| Request | 22.5 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 22.5 | +0.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 22.5 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 22.5 | +0.0 |

> FY2027 NDAA authorization marks, as of 2026-07-27. Not appropriations or final law.

## Projects (1)

| Project | Title | FY2025 actual | FY2026 enacted | FY2027 request | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 67A014 | R&D Space & Missile Operations | 20.4 | 21.9 | 22.5 | +3% |

> Projects are the summable leaves: the program element total is their sum, never added to it.

### Project 67A014 — R&D Space & Missile Operations

The Research and Development Space and Missile Operations (RDSMO) program, executed by the Acquisition Delta - Innovation and Prototyping, Space Systems Command at Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB), NM, conducts Space Vehicle and Ground technology transition, prototype development, Developmental Test and Evaluation (DT&E) and Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E). RDSMO develops and evaluates ground systems for prototype experimental, demonstration, and operational satellites within the RDT&E Support Complex (RSC) at KAFB, NM and at Schriever Space Force Base (SSFB), CO. Additionally, this program augments the Space Force Satellite Control Network (SCN) with the Mobile Range Flight (MRF) while prototyping new antenna systems and networking technologies worldwide. The RDSMO program develops, acquires, delivers, integrates, tests, operates and continuously develop the Multi-Mission Satellite Operations Center (MMSOC) satellite command and control (C2) ground systems for existing experimental and new prototype missions. RDSMO develops, acquires, delivers, integrates, tests, and operates new tactical space C2 architectures from ground stations (including government, commercial, and a local Kirtland station) through their networks to the RSC. RDSMO then ensures users receive the highest quality data at the required latency in support of USSF (United States Space Force), Department of War (DoW), and other government mission partners. This program also leads the transfer of approved on-orbit missions to operational command organizations such as Combat Forces Command (CFC). It performs prototype and technology evaluation for multiple USSF missions to include the Rapid Resilient Command and Control (R2C2), Space Domain Awareness, and other mission areas as required. The objective of the RDSMO Program is to innovate, prototype, and evaluate USSF ground systems to support USSF, DoW, and other government mission partners while speeding transition of war-winning capabilities. The program is centered at the RSC in KAFB, but is developing, testing and evaluating architectures with distributed cloud-based operations, integration in existing and future USSF data distribution networks as well as evaluating resiliency and availability to meet future warfighter needs.

**Named R-3 performers** (share of this project's FY2027 R-3 total, so they need not reach 100%)**:** a.i. solutions (3.9, 17%), SAIC (1.2, 5.5%), Tecolote (1.1, 5.1%), Linquest (0.5, 2.0%).

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| MMSOC Development | 2.9 | 3.0 | 3.7 |
| Cloud-Enabled Ground System Development | 9.6 | 10.0 | 9.9 |
| Prototype Baseline Support | 8.0 | 8.8 | 8.9 |

> R-2A activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. Coverage is partial, so count them, never total them.

## Where the FY2027 request goes

| Category | Share | $M |
|---|---|---|
| Industry primes | 30% | 6.8 |
| Government labs & warfare centers | 22% | 4.9 |
| Other / unspecified | 48% | 10.9 |

**Top named industry performers:** a.i. solutions ($3.9M, 17%), SAIC ($1.2M, 5.5%), Tecolote ($1.1M, 5.1%), Linquest ($0.5M, 2.0%).

> R-3 exhibit contract funding, not USAspending obligations.

## Mission & acquisition strategy

The Research and Development Space and Missile Operations (RDSMO) program, executed by the Acquisition Delta - Innovation and Prototyping, Space Systems Command at Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB), NM, conducts Space Vehicle and Ground technology transition, prototype development, Developmental Test and Evaluation (DT&E) and Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E). RDSMO develops and evaluates ground systems for prototype experimental, demonstration, and operational satellites within the RDT&E Support Complex (RSC) at KAFB, NM and at Schriever Space Force Base (SSFB), CO.

RDSMO will award Hybrid Architecture and Development for Experimental Systems (HADES) contract (Jan 2027) to support the development and evaluation of ground systems for prototype, experimental, demonstration, and operational satellites. RDSMO will continue to use the competitively awarded Prototype Operations (POPS)-I contract (awarded May 2022) for prototype operations support and concept development activities. RDSMO will use existing mission partner contracts to leverage cost savings or technological efficiencies, including SpRCO/R2C2 contracts, partnerships with AFRL (including UARC support through the Space & Nuclear Advanced Prototypes/Experiments/Tech (SNAPET) contract), and other mission partners.

## Related program elements

- [1203010SF — Space Force IT, Data Analytics, Digital Solutions](https://hitchintel.com/programs/1203010SF) (Space Force)
- [0604036A — Multi-Domain Sensing System (MDSS) Adv Dev](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604036A) (Army)
- [1206410SF — Space Technology Development and Prototyping](https://hitchintel.com/programs/1206410SF) (Space Force)
- [0603925N — Directed Energy and Electric Weapon System](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603925N) (Navy)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 1203173SF (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="1203173SF")`.

*HitchAI is an independent intelligence service, not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Defense. Budget figures are requests/estimates, not obligations.*