The Space Development Agency (SDA) released a business notice on January 6, 2026, surveying the industrial base for its ability to provide Ground Entry Points (GEP) to support the upcoming Tranche 3 of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA).
The Request for Information (RFI) marks a critical shift toward hardening the terrestrial layer of the Pentagon’s mesh network as the agency scales its orbital assets to address hypersonic threats.
Strategic Context and Funding Restoration
The move to expand ground infrastructure follows significant legislative support in the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Congressional negotiators recently restored $1.2 billion in funding for Tranche 3, reversing a proposed pause and ensuring production continuity for the multi-layered missile defense shield known as the “Golden Dome.” This funding stability allowed the SDA to recently award $3.5 billion in contracts to Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, L3Harris, and Rocket Lab for the Tranche 3 Tracking Layer.
Ground Segment Requirements
The SDA is seeking highly resilient, low-latency ground stations capable of managing the massive data throughput of the Tranche 3 Transport and Tracking layers. According to the notice, the new GEPs must feature advanced optical inter-satellite link (OISL) ground-to-space compatibility and integrate seamlessly with existing tactical data links used by joint warfighters. The agency is prioritizing vendors that can offer modular, rapidly deployable ground solutions to match the SDA’s two-year “spiral development” cadence.
Transition in Leadership
This infrastructure push is the first major ground-segment solicitation under Acting Director Gurpartap “GP” Sandhoo, who assumed leadership of the SDA following the departure of inaugural director Derek Tournear in September 2025. Sandhoo is tasked with overseeing the transition of the PWSA from an experimental constellation to a fully operational global defense network by 2029.
Timeline and Next Steps
Responses to the GEP survey are due to the agency by early February 2026. The technical data gathered from this RFI will inform a formal Request for Proposals (RFP) expected in the second half of the 2026 fiscal year. The SDA intends to have the first Tranche 3 ground stations operational and tested well ahead of the scheduled 2029 launch of the first Tranche 3 orbital planes.
