What project 633834 buys
This project is a series of advanced technology demonstrations designed to address mission needs by applying emerging technologies from the Air Force Research Laboratory, other United States government laboratories, and industry. These technologies are integrated into system-level demonstrations that are used to test, evaluate, and validate the technologies in a relevant environment. This project includes the development and demonstration of programs addressing Department of the Air Force (DAF) capability gaps.
Project 633834 funding, 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. Projects carry the full five-year plan; the activities inside them stop at the budget year.
| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 206.5 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 46.0 |
| FY2027 | Request | 47.4 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 48.0 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 47.8 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 48.9 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 49.9 |
10 accomplishments / planned programs
The R-2A exhibit — the only level of the budget that describes work that has not happened yet. Activities carry the prior, current and budget year only, no five-year plan. 2 of them describe FY2027 work in enough detail to have their own page; the rest are shown here in full. Coverage is partial across the corpus, so count activities, never total them.
Continue: - Demonstrate technologies for future proliferated systems through small satellite experiments with a mission focus of designing, building, and testing aimed at increasing the resiliency of space assets, technologies, and missions to emerging threats. - Integrate commercial, allied, and government space networks command and…
Read the FY2027 plan →Continue: -Engagement with cislunar space community to coordinate test events, collect available data, and drive a whole of government approach to cislunar situational awareness. -AI&T of the satellite system. Complete: -Delivery of the Satellite Bus for system integration and test. -Cislunar data analysis software and cloud-based ground…
Read the FY2027 plan →FY2027 planned work Continue: - Mature secure software nodes for user equipment. - Validate integration of interfaces for Lightweight SatNav implementation with potential LEO demo satellites. - Engagement with US Government, Allied and Commercial communities to coordinate test events, collect available data, and drive a whole of government approach to secure Satellite Navigation. Complete: - Mature authenticated operations mode in user equipment. - Testing of accuracy, time-to-first-fix & anti-jam with on-orbit test assets.
FY2026 to FY2027 change FY2027 increased compared to FY2026 by $3.387 million due to this effort being broken out separately from the Integrated Satellite Demonstrations effort within this Program Element and Project to prioritize high conviction and maximum impact S&T. In FY2026, $2.536 million was spent on MOSTA within Integrated Satellite Demonstrations therefore, the relevant increase between FY2026 and FY2027 is $0.851 million. This is due to terrestrial and on-orbit integration and characterization, and algorithm implementation.
FY2026 plans — current year In FY 2026, $2.536 million of funding and associated plans were aligned under the Integrated Satellite Demonstrations effort within this Program Element and Project as a subset of the broader "early design, ground experiments, and long-lead equipment purchases for several new flight experiment concepts including demonstrations supporting next generation position, navigation, and timing technology" task. FY 2027 plans reflect a continuation of this effort with added detail due to its prioritization within the overarching Project.
FY2027 planned work Continue: -Development of resilient materials for spacecraft structures. Evaluate materials in simulated space environments to down select for further development. -Investigate environmental compatibility of materials at low earth orbit and other orbital regimes in representative and realistic environments.
FY2026 to FY2027 change Not Applicable
FY2026 plans — current year Continue: -Development of resilient materials for spacecraft structures. -Investigate environmental compatibility of materials at low earth orbit and other orbital regimes.
FY2027 planned work Continue: - Mission-level military utility analyses of technology and associated architectures across multi-domain mission areas and development of high-fidelity models/test environments which incorporate essential aspects of the space-domain. - Refining guidelines and checkpoints for concept maturation evaluations in context of emerging space technologies. -Sensitivity analysis for a kill chain relying on space-based sensors to determine the key capability gaps in technology requirements for an air and sea based long range kill web
FY2026 to FY2027 change FY2027 decreased compared to FY2026 by $0.727 million due to programmatic adjustments to the DAF Science and Technology portfolio. This decrease reflects a strategic realignment to optimize core research areas and improve resource efficiency.
FY2026 plans — current year Continue: - Mission-level military utility analyses of technology and associated architectures and employment concepts across multi-domain mission areas. - Refining guidelines and checkpoints for concept maturation evaluations in context of emerging space technologies. -Sensitivity analysis for a kill chain relying on space-based sensors to determine the key capability gaps in technology requirements for an air and sea based long range kill web
FY2027 planned work Continue: -Focus on exploratory application development and transition of emerging software technologies to space operators. -Refining an agile software development environment in collaboration with United States Space Force (USSF)/S6 (Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Cyber and Data) to perform agile software development and delivery through user focused collaboration and commercial partnerships. -Work with USSF Field Commands to develop and field a variety of software applications to the USSF Space Delta Units and improve Guardian performance.
FY2026 to FY2027 change FY2027 decreased compared to FY2026 by $0.019 million due to programmatic adjustments to the DAF Science and Technology portfolio. This decrease reflects a strategic realignment to optimize core research areas and improve resource efficiency.
FY2026 plans — current year Continue: -Focus on tactical level exploratory application development and transition of emerging software technologies to space operators. -Refining an agile software development environment in collaboration with United States Space Force (USSF)/S6 (Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Cyber and Data) to perform agile software development and delivery through user focused collaboration and commercial partnerships. -Work with USSF Field Commands to develop and field a variety of software applications to the USSF Space Delta Units and improve Guardian performance.
FY2027 planned work Complete: - Investigate methods to reduce manufacturing lead time for in-space maneuverability - Investigate yield improvements and cost reduction on space-based sensors. Continue: - Install and optimize a production line to manufacture multifunctional layer formulations and ultimately produce multilayer radiation shields to supply cost & performance optimized multilayer polymeric shields for future flight demonstration opportunities and DoW missions. Commence: - Establish a new manufacturing process that increases production capacity by 10x of multi-layer insulation material for passive thermal control of spacecraft.
FY2026 to FY2027 change FY2027 decreased compared to FY2026 by $0.316 million due to the completion of investigations into in-space maneuverability and cost reduction and yield improvements in space-based sensors.
FY2026 plans — current year Continue: -Developing technologies to improve efficiency gains to radiation shielding and thermal control through adapting manufacturing processes for new materials technology. -Investigate yield improvements and cost reduction on space-based sensors. -Improve yield and cost reduction on efforts for in-space maneuverability. Commence: - Investigate methods to reduce manufacturing lead time for in-space maneuverability. Complete: -Manufacturing demonstrations of low-cost and high-throughput oscillating heat pipes for thermal management using semiconductor processes. -Development and manufacturing scale up of alternative bonding approaches for infrared focal plane array components that…
FY2027 planned work Not Applicable
FY2026 to FY2027 change Not Applicable
FY2026 plans — current year In FY 2026, work and associated funding with the Payload Delivery System activity was separated from the Transformational Technology Development effort and transferred within this Program Element to the Payload Delivery System effort under Project 630321, Space Warfighter Technologist Capabilities. The remaining non-Payload Delivery system work under this effort and associated funding transferred to Project 630321, Space Warfighter Technologist Capabilities under the Transformational Technology effort. These transfers provide Congress increased transparency and traceability of USSF S&T Vanguard and WARTECH efforts and activities.
FY2027 planned work Not Applicable
FY2026 to FY2027 change Not Applicable
FY2026 plans — current year In FY 2026, the Rocket Cargo effort and associated plans & funding transferred within this Program Element to Project 630321, Space Warfighter Technologist Capabilities, to provide increased transparency and traceability of USSF S&T Vanguard and WARTECH efforts and activities.
FY2027 planned work Not Applicable
FY2026 to FY2027 change Not Applicable
FY2026 plans — current year In FY 2026, the Navigation Technology Satellite (NTS-3) effort and associated plans & funding transferred within this Program Element to Project 630321, Space Warfighter Technologist Capabilities, to provide increased transparency and traceability of USSF S&T Vanguard and WARTECH efforts and activities.