The Pentagon is considering deploying a fleet of up to five military satellites around the Moon by late 2029.
Ars Technica reported that the Department of the Air Force released a request for information on November 2, outlining plans for the Cislunar Space System.
“We have a role to play, but we’re not the lead,” Gen. Chance Saltzman said, who served as the top general in the Space Force until his retirement in August. “I just don’t want to get caught flat-footed when we start to have to protect US interests out there, so we’re along for the ride.”
The new request asks companies to provide rapid and low-risk solutions to support government technical and programmatic objectives. Each of the initial five spacecraft will carry a government-provided payload to meet military mission needs. These initial vehicles may serve as seed vehicles to inform the acquisition strategy for a potential future proliferated cislunar constellation.
Military officials wrote on the government procurement website that the government intends to award up to five firm fixed price preliminary design study contracts. Responses from companies are due by November 24. It remains unclear when the Pentagon might move forward with firm contracts, and the language in the request does not commit the military to doing so.
Commercial satellite development cycles typically run two or three years. Military officials would likely need deals signed sometime in 2027 to meet their 2029 schedule goal.
