# Project 634922 — Space & Missile Rocket Propulsion

**Program element:** 1206616SF — Space Advanced Technology Development/Demo  
**Project:** 634922  
**Component:** U.S. Space Force  
**Appropriation:** 3620F — RDT&E, Space Force  
**Budget Activity:** 3 — Advanced Technology Development  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/1206616SF/634922  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/1206616SF

## Summary

Project 634922 — Space & Missile Rocket Propulsion requests $17.6M in FY2027, 14% of the $126.4M requested for program element 1206616SF, down 11% on FY2026. 2 R-2A activities decompose the request.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 15.3 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 19.7 |
| FY2027 | Request | 17.6 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 18.4 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 18.9 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 19.3 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 19.7 |

> Estimate types are not summed. This project is one leaf of PE 1206616SF; the PE total is the sum of its projects, never added to them.

## What project 634922 buys

This project develops and demonstrates advanced liquid rocket engine technologies, components, engines, and integrated systems for launch vehicles. Characteristics such as environmental acceptability, affordability, reliability, responsiveness, reduced weight, and reduced operation and launch costs are emphasized. The objective is to reduce costs, simplify manufacturability, increase performance and life/reusability, as well as payload lift capability. Additionally, this project investigates and demonstrates technologies that will improve responsiveness and resiliency of space access systems and launch infrastructure. This project also develops and demonstrates solar electric, electric, chemical, and advanced propulsion technologies, for station-keeping, repositioning, and orbit transfer for satellites and satellite constellations. This effort develops technologies for flexible, responsive in-space maneuver in all orbit regimes. These technologies are critical to expanding Space Force's capability to deliver capabilities resiliently and responsively in, to, and through space. This project further develops and demonstrates the next generation of physics-based modeling, simulation, and analysis (MS&A) tools for rapid and agile space access and in-space propulsion design, analysis, and production, as well as the digital engineering concepts to manage the entire process of design, test, and validation of space access and in-space systems. This project secures National Unique Testing Assets, providing unmatched capabilities that underpin technological leadership and ensure the safety and security of our nation. All efforts in this project contribute to the sustainment and growth of the space and rocket propulsion industry, providing space access and in-space propulsion technology for the entire Department of War (DoW). Technologies under this project enable capabilities of interest to DoW, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and growing Space community. The efforts in this project are reviewed by a DoW level steering committee annually for relevance to DoW missions, and the associated support costs.

## Activities (R-2A) — 2

| Activity | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 | Move | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Propulsion Integration and Demonstration | 12.6 | 16.7 | 17.6 | +5% | [a1](https://hitchintel.com/programs/1206616SF/634922/a1) |
| Space Access Propulsion Technologies | 2.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | — |

> Activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. In the request year they partition this project exactly; in earlier years they can under-cover it.

### Propulsion Integration and Demonstration

Continue: -Develop, demonstrate and transition experimental, modeling, simulation, and theoretical efforts for advanced thruster development with emphasis on flight logistics and thruster lifetimes for rapid and agile design of spacecraft propulsion options. Activities include development of models for total on-orbit asset lifetime based…

Full year-by-year narrative: https://hitchintel.com/programs/1206616SF/634922/a1

### Space Access Propulsion Technologies

**FY2027 planned work.** Not applicable

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** Not applicable

**FY2026 plans — current year.** Effort ended in FY 2025.

## What is NOT on this page

Congressional marks, the R-2 mission description and acquisition strategy, the industry vs government split of the whole request, and related program elements are recorded at **program-element** grain — an NDAA mark lands on a PE, never on a project. They are at https://hitchintel.com/programs/1206616SF.

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-2A/R-3, PE 1206616SF project 634922 (PB PB2027).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="1206616SF")`.

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