# Major T&E Investment - Space — Program Element 1206759SF

**Program element:** 1206759SF  
**Component:** U.S. Space Force  
**Appropriation:** 3620F — RDT&E, Space Force  
**Budget Activity:** 6 — RDT&E Management Support  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/1206759SF

## Summary

U.S. Space Force funding falls 66% to a $65.7M request 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.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 216.3 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 196.0 |
| FY2027 | Request | 65.7 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 63.6 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 65.3 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 66.8 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 71.6 |

> 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 | 65.7 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 65.7 | +0.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 65.7 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 65.7 | +0.0 |

> FY2027 NDAA authorization marks, as of 2026-07-27. Not appropriations or final law.

## Projects (3)

| Project | Title | FY2025 actual | FY2026 enacted | FY2027 request | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 660191 | 660191 - Space Systems Operational Test & Eval | 51.6 | 41.7 | 60.6 | +45% |
| 664597 | 664597 - Professional Test Workforce | 5.9 | 4.8 | 5.1 | +6% |
| 664598 | 664598 - National Space Test and Training Complex (NSTTC) | 158.8 | 149.5 | 0.0 | −100% |

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

### Project 660191 — 660191 - Space Systems Operational Test & Eval

Space Operational Test and Evaluation refers to Congressionally mandated Space Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) to support major weapon system acquisition decisions beyond Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP), Milestone C, full-rate production (FRP), fielding, and declaration of Initial Operational Capability (IOC). For Major Defense Acquisition Programs (MDAP), Title 10 USC 2399 requires IOT&E to be completed under realistic operating conditions before proceeding beyond LRIP. IOT&E will be planned to answer all Critical Operational Issues (COI) as thoroughly as possible. IOT&E is conducted to determine operational effectiveness and suitability and resolve overall mission capability of systems undergoing Research and Development (R&D) efforts. It is an evaluation of a system's performance when the complete system is tested and evaluated against operational criteria by personnel with the same qualifications as those who will operate, maintain and support the system when deployed. In general, IOT&E is performed on new systems in development, major modifications, and other systems as directed. This project provides funding for the USSF Operational Test Agency's participation in Integrated Test and Evaluation (IT&E). Additionally, it funds the Multi-service Operational Test and Evaluation (MOT&E) and Follow-on Operational Test and Evaluation (FOT&E) when it is the continuation of IOT&E activities past the FRP decision. FOT&E answers specific questions about unresolved COIs and test issues or completes areas not finished during the IOT&E. This effort also funds related Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E) activities such as Early Influence (EI), Operational Utility Evaluations (OUE), Early Operational Assessments (EOA), and Operational Assessments (OA) which are independent OT&Es supporting major milestones and decision points, FRP, fielding, or declaration of IOC for USSF programs. USSF schedules and executes tests according to the forecasted test readiness of the MDAP program offices.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Space Systems Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E) | 51.6 | 41.7 | 60.6 |

> R-2A activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. Coverage is partial, so count them, never total them.

### Project 664597 — 664597 - Professional Test Workforce

This project provides funding for the organizations, training, and activities required to develop a professional space T&E workforce, in conjunction with the USSF Chief Human Capital Officer. Funding primarily supports the development of the Space Test Course (STC) as the United States Air Force (USAF) Test Pilot School (TPS). The STC at USAF TPS will provide graduate-level education for the core space T&E workforce.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional Test Workforce | 5.9 | 4.8 | 5.1 |

> R-2A activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. Coverage is partial, so count them, never total them.

### Project 664598 — 664598 - National Space Test and Training Complex (NSTTC)

Provide space warfighters with interconnected, scalable, high-fidelity and distributed physical and digital ranges for full-spectrum test and training to develop, validate, and sharpen joint warfighting capabilities necessary to prevail and enable space superiority that is essential to achieve peace through strength.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSTTC | 158.8 | 149.5 | 0.0 |

> R-2A activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. Coverage is partial, so count them, never total them.

## Mission & acquisition strategy

STARCOM is developing and operating the U.S. Space Force's Major Test and Evaluation (T&E) resources (Projects 660191, 664597, and 664598) to improve test for Guardians across the following mission areas: Science & Technology and Test & Evaluation; Space Domain Awareness; Position, Navigation, and Timing; Satellite Communications; Weather; Combat Power; and Launch. As a result, the Service will benefit from improved testing and validation of new capabilities across all Service Operational Functions, as well as streamlined capabilities development through improved institutional processes. This program funds the United States Space Force (USSF) Test Enterprise.

## Related program elements

- [1206410SF — Space Technology Development and Prototyping](https://hitchintel.com/programs/1206410SF) (Space Force)
- [1206446SF — Resilient MW/MT - LEO](https://hitchintel.com/programs/1206446SF) (Space Force)
- [0604771N — Medical Development](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604771N) (Navy)
- [0605601A — Army Test Ranges and Facilities](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605601A) (Army)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 1206759SF (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="1206759SF")`.

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