# U.S. Space Command Research and Development Support — Program Element 1206415F

**Program element:** 1206415F  
**Component:** U.S. Air Force  
**Appropriation:** 3600 — RDT&E, Air Force  
**Budget Activity:** 4 — Advanced Component Development & Prototypes  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/1206415F

## Summary

U.S. Air Force requests $34.7M 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. Galapagos, SPA, Parsons leads the industry work.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 23.6 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 33.2 |
| FY2027 | Request | 34.7 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 37.7 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 40.4 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 44.2 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 45.1 |

> 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 | 34.7 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 34.7 | +0.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 34.7 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 34.7 | +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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 641234 | USSPACECOM Rapid Prototype Demonstration | 23.6 | 33.2 | 34.7 | +5% |

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

### Project 641234 — USSPACECOM Rapid Prototype Demonstration

The U.S. Space Command Research and Development program will ensure a comprehensive military advantage in space by integrating existing space capabilities from the Armed Services and the Intelligence Community with innovations from national laboratories and commercial partners. The program will promote responsible behavior in space, advocate greater space capabilities, and collaborate with industry partners to achieve national space objectives. This will be accomplished through the acceleration of technology demonstrations, rapid operational prototyping, and experimentation to increase lethality. The RDT&E program will also conduct assessments of current and possible future space-based effects via model-based analysis. The Capability and Verification Environment (CAVE) Lab will support the prioritized analysis of space systems, including: • Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) • Satellite Communications (SATCOM) • Missile Warning/Golden Dome • Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities and Integration • Space Domain Awareness (SDA) and sensing needs • Orbital Warfare systems • Ground Infrastructure/Command and Control (C2) studies This will inform service capability roadmaps and funding to meet the required effects for the Space Area of Responsibility (AOR).

**Named R-3 performers** (share of this project's FY2027 R-3 total, so they need not reach 100%)**:** Galapagos, SPA, Parsons (5.3, 15%), CECOM (0.7, 1.9%), CCTI (0.3, 1.0%).

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classified Space Threat-Based Studies and Analysis | 3.8 | 6.2 | 6.9 |
| Commercial Capability Platform Integration into USSPACECOM Operations | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Contested Space Modeling for Capabilities, Analysis, and Verification Environment (CAVE) | 6.1 | 11.8 | 12.0 |
| Space Operations Application Prototyping and Integration | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.6 |
| Space Operations Research, Development, and Experimentation | 7.7 | 8.0 | 8.0 |
| PNT Operational Assessments | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.3 |
| Lighthouse | 2.2 | 2.5 | 2.8 |

> 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 | 18% | 6.3 |
| Government labs & warfare centers | 28% | 9.7 |
| Other / unspecified | 54% | 18.7 |

**Top named industry performers:** Galapagos, SPA, Parsons ($5.3M, 15%).

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

## Mission & acquisition strategy

The U.S. Space Command Research and Development program will ensure a comprehensive military advantage in space by integrating existing space capabilities from the Armed Services and the Intelligence Community with innovations from national laboratories and commercial partners. The program will promote responsible behavior in space, advocate greater space capabilities, and collaborate with industry partners to achieve national space objectives. This will be accomplished through the acceleration of technology demonstrations, rapid operational prototyping, and experimentation to increase lethality.

Any new projects funded in this program will be awarded using competitive procedures to the maximum extent possible.

## Related program elements

- [0808737SE — Integrated Primary Prevention](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0808737SE) (Defense-Wide)
- [0605500N — Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) (P-8A)](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605500N) (Navy)
- [1206442SF — Next Generation OPIR](https://hitchintel.com/programs/1206442SF) (Space Force)
- [0602386A — Biotechnology for Materials - Applied Research](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602386A) (Army)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 1206415F (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="1206415F")`.

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