Tracking Layer Tranche 4 On-orbit Demonstrations and Operations Request for Information
Updated
Special Notice from the Department of the Air Force. Due Dec 4, 2026, 12:00 PM (UTC-5), 44 days left.
| Solicitation number | SDA-SN-27-0003 |
|---|---|
| Agency | Department of the Air Force |
| Office | FA2401 Space Development Agency Sda |
| Notice type | Special Notice |
| Set-aside | None |
| Trade (NAICS) | Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715) |
| Product or service code | AC13 |
| Posted | Oct 20, 2026 |
| Response deadline | Dec 4, 2026, 12:00 PM (UTC-5) (44 days left) |
| Add the deadline to | Google Calendar · Apple / Outlook (.ics) |
Official notice and attachments
Description
The Space Development Agency (SDA) is seeking information to inform future solicitations and reduce risk associated with the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) architecture acquisition and integration plans. This RFI seeks industry feedback on enhancements to its baseline Tracking Layer’s Resilient MWTD mission payloads and architecture, as well as new mission capabilities that can help the PWSA provide enhanced mission performance to detect and track more challenging targets across their full flight trajectories.
Additional details, mission objectives, and architecture information are available upon request. Responses to this RFI will specifically inform SDA’s scope and design of possible short-term on-orbit demonstration(s) and future Tracking Layer tranches. Following this RFI and feedback phase, SDA plans to announce a Tranche 4 solicitation that includes both production contracts and partnership opportunities for rapid prototyping and flight demonstration(s) of new mission payloads.
This Request for Information consists of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and a classified addendum. Interested parties must contact SDA to receive the documents. Please send an email to ussf.pentagon [email protected] with the subject line “TRKT4 RFI Content Request.”
Please include: • Company Name: • Cage Code: • City, State of Company location • Email address: • JWICS email: (for classified documents)
Is your business small enough?
For NAICS 541715, a business counts as small if it has no more than 11 employees (SBA size standard, with exceptions in the notes). This notice is not set aside, but the size decides your small business status on it. SBA table, current as of Oct 15, 2026.
Notice history
- Oct 20, 2026: Special Notice Due Dec 4, 2026, 12:00 PM (UTC-5)
Companies that win this kind of work
Federal contractors paid for research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences work, who also hold Air Force contracts (last 12 months): possible competitors, or partners to team with.
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory LLC $1.9 billion in this trade
- Lockheed Martin Corporation $1.8 billion in this trade
- Raytheon Company $1.7 billion in this trade
- The Aerospace Corporation $1.1 billion in this trade
- Booz Allen Hamilton Inc $791.0 million in this trade
About the buyer
The Department of the Air Force awarded $83.0 billion in contracts in the last 12 months; its biggest suppliers were The Boeing Company, The Boeing Company and Raytheon Company. See what Air Force is buying now.
Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences contracts right now
There are 258 open government contract opportunities in this trade (NAICS 541715), 41 posted in the last 7 days; 32% are set aside for small businesses. The agencies buying the most are Department of the Air Force, Department of the Army and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Most of the work with a stated place is in Maryland, District of Columbia and Virginia. A notice in this trade gives a median of 78 days from posting to deadline; this one gives 45 days.
All open research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences contracts
Coming up in this trade
Planned contracts from the agencies' procurement forecasts, often months before a solicitation. Plans can change.
Recent awards in this trade
- Orefine LLC $1.9 million · Department of the Army · Oct 19, 2026
- BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY Provo UT $1.1 million · Department of the Army · Oct 14, 2026
- LUDWIG-MAXIMILIANS-UNIVERSITAT MUNCHEN Munchen $1.1 million · Department of the Army · Oct 13, 2026
- Two Six Labs, LLC $1.5 million · Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) · Oct 7, 2026
- Fraunhofer USA Inc $1.4 million · Department of the Army · Oct 7, 2026
From the award notices agencies publish.