What the FY2027 request buys
Verbatim from the R-2A exhibit for project 634922 of PE 1206616SF. This is the budget justification's own description of work that has not happened yet — the one thing no other level of the budget carries.
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 on propulsion system data. -Analysis and development of multimode propulsion opportunities by combining high efficiency and high thrust capabilities on a common propellant. Activities include analysis and development on in-space thrusters utilizing common propellant. -Flight-weight design and development of multi-mode propulsion flight system combining capabilities of chemical and electric propulsion thrusters utilizing a single common propellant by delivery of flight chemical propulsion hardware for on-orbit demonstration. Activities include development, testing, and demonstration of flight-weight chemical propulsion hardware. -Design and development of high-power electric propulsion thrusters by validation of flight weight cathode for enhanced maneuver capability. Activities include development and testing of flight weight cathode for integration into full multi-mode propulsion system. -Development of modular propulsion architectures via integration and transition of new propulsion technology with greater flexibility of on-orbit logistics options for USSF spacecraft. Activities include integrated testing of modular propulsion elements across multi-user system architectures. -Evaluation of launch capability with commercial partners and demonstration opportunities in manufacturing processes of engines, vehicle and related systems in active prototype and development supporting military utility. Activities include active prototyping and testing of commercially manufactured thrusters, components, and engines for use in military missions. Complete: -Thrust scale-up effort for advanced non-toxic propellant for electric propulsion and monopropellant thrusters in a multimode propulsion capability. Activities include verification and validation of thermal modes of flight weight thrusters and cheater integration operations. -Coordination of technology transition opportunities to manage technology insertion and evaluate capabilities through maturation of prototype flight hardware design using Public Private Partnerships to maximize government infrastructure to benefit vehicle and engine development. Activities include: scale-up to flight weight and testing of prototype hardware in partnership with industry for incorporation into modular flight weight systems.
FY 2027 increased compared to FY 2026 by $0.883 million due to increased cost of components, chemical propellants, and engine manufacturing associated with ground and flight testing capabilities.
FY2026: the year under way
Prior-year accomplishments and current-year plans from the same exhibit. Context for the FY2027 plan, not a series — an activity partitions its project exactly in the request year, but can under-cover it in earlier years.
Continue: - Develop, demonstrate and transition experimental, modeling and simulation, and theoretical efforts for advanced thruster development with emphasis flight logistics and thruster lifetimes for rapid and agile design of spacecraft propulsion options. - Analysis and development of multimode propulsion opportunities by combining high efficiency and high thrust capabilities on a common propellant. - thrust scale-up effort for advanced non-toxic propellant for electric propulsion and monopropellant thrusters in a multimode propulsion capability with validation of thermal modes of flight weight thrusters and cheater integration operations. - Flight-weight design and development of multi-mode propulsion flight system combining capabilities of chemical and electric propulsion thrusters utilizing a single common propellant by delivery of flight chemical propulsion hardware for on-orbit demonstration. - Design and development of high-power electric propulsion thrusters by validation of flight weight cathode for enhanced maneuver capability. - Development of modular propulsion architectures via integration and transition of new propulsion technology with greater flexibility of on-orbit logistics options for USSF spacecraft. Commence: - Evaluation of launch capability with commercial partners and demonstration opportunities in manufacturing processes of engines, vehicle and related systems in active prototype and development supporting military utility. - Coordination of technology transition opportunities to manage technology insertion and evaluate capabilities through maturation of prototype flight hardware design using Public Private Partnerships to maximize government infrastructure to benefit vehicle and engine development.
Three years, and no five-year plan
An R-2A activity publishes the prior year, the current year and the budget year. The FYDP outyears exist at project and program-element level and are deliberately absent here rather than inferred. Estimate types are colored and never summed into one figure.
| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 12.6 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 16.7 |
| FY2027 | Request | 17.6 |
This activity is 100% of project 634922's FY2027 request and 14% of PE 1206616SF's. In the request year the activities under a project sum to it exactly; in the current year they under-cover it in about 9% of cases, so an activity's delta can legitimately exceed its parent's and the two must not be compared row to row.
2 activities in project 634922
Every R-2A line of this project, largest FY2027 request first. Linked where the activity has enough of its own narrative to carry a page; the rest are shown in full on the project page.