# Spacecraft Component Technologies

**R-2A activity** of project 628809 — Spacecraft Vehicle Technologies  
**Program element:** 1206601SF — Space Technology  
**Component:** U.S. Space Force · **Budget Activity:** 2  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/1206601SF/628809/a0  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/1206601SF/628809

## Summary

This activity requests $46.0M in FY2027, 100% of project 628809, up 2.2% on FY2026. The R-2A exhibit describes it across FY2026–FY2027, including what the FY2027 money is planned to buy.

## What the FY2027 request buys

**FY2027 planned work.** Continue: -Developing high-power resilient satellite technology, including deployable solar arrays and radiators scalable to all missions. -Efforts for landmark 40% efficiency solar cells and develop alternative power generation and storage sources. -Research enabling high degrees of freedom robotics for spacecraft operations including on-orbit refueling, spacecraft upgrade, assembly, and manufacturing. -Leadership role in the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering (OUSW(R&E)) Trusted and Assured Microelectronics program executing the research, development and transition of radiation hardened electronic components to support National Security Space and Strategic systems. -Adapting bench-marking capabilities on new electronics using the latest spacecraft algorithms and transitioning bench-marking capabilities and results to the acquisition community to enable data-informed payload architecture design decisions. -Development of strategic radiation hardened microprocessor. -Research and development on reliable application of high-performance commercial-based processing in future space systems to enable revolutionary on-orbit edge processing, autonomy, data fusion, and machine learning. -Effort on Hyper-Converged edge framework combining storage, computing, and networking into a single system for space systems. -Research into deployable space structure reliability. Commence: -Efforts to evaluate and develop space-based edge processing hardware for use with Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) applications. -On-orbit demonstration of state-of-the-art processor technology and of integrated logistics technologies to enhance enterprise space resilience. -Development of computer vision algorithms to enable space-based battle damage assessment. -Development of algorithms for formation management of multiple low Earth orbit small satellites, based on study of mission designs. -Technology transition of Microgravity Sediment Trap. -Transition of Variable Emissivity Materials to operational use via business development, manufacturability enhancements, and modeling parameter effects on performance. -Development of high gain rollable composite space antenna.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** FY 2027 increased compared to FY 2026 by $0.994 million due to programmatic adjustments to the DAF Science and Technology portfolio. This increase reflects a strategic realignment to optimize core research areas and improve resource efficiency.

## Before the request year

**FY2026 plans — current year.** Continue: - Developing high-power resilient satellite technology, including deployable solar arrays and radiators scalable to all missions. - Efforts for landmark 40% efficiency solar cells and develop alternative power generation and storage sources. - Research enabling high degrees of freedom robotics for spacecraft operations including on-orbit refueling, spacecraft upgrade, assembly, and manufacturing. - Leadership role in the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering (OUSW(R&E)) Trusted and Assured Microelectronics program executing the research, development and transition of radiation hardened electronic components to support National Security Space and Strategic systems. - Adapting bench-marking capabilities on new electronics using the latest spacecraft algorithms and transitioning bench-marking capabilities and results to the acquisition community to enable data-informed payload architecture design decisions. - Development of strategic radiation hardened microprocessor. - Research and development on reliable application of high- performance commercial-based processing in future space systems to enable revolutionary on-orbit edge processing, autonomy, data fusion, and machine learning. - Hyper-Converged edge computing for space systems. - Research into deployable space structure's reliability. Complete: - Development of functional materials, metrology, power and thermal management for space-based sensing missions in contested environments. - Research into heterogeneous on-orbit processing capabilities in support of future on- orbit servicing objectives. - Transition of algorithms enabling scalable autonomy and multi-agent behavior for autonomous rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking (RPOD), and space logistics applications in support of Dynamic Space Operations.

## Funding

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 44.1 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 45.0 |
| FY2027 | Request | 46.0 |

> Prior, current and budget year only — an R-2A activity carries no five-year plan. It sums exactly into its project in the request year and not necessarily in any other.

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibit R-2A, PE 1206601SF project 628809 (PB PB2027). Narrative is the government's own text.
- **No marks, no contractors at this grain** — congressional marks land on the program element and R-3 performers on the project.
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_activity`.

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