Space Force to Leverage Commercial Providers for Next-Gen Space Surveillance

The Space Force plans to develop a new space surveillance constellation, separate from the SILENTBARKER program currently operated in tandem with the National Reconnaissance Office. The service intends to buy satellites from commercial providers and operate them independently. A draft request for proposals is expected to be released by the end of the year. According to Col. Brendan Hochstein, the Space Force sees the surveillance and reconnaissance missions as requiring separate assets, with the new constellation focused on ‘scanning the environment’ and the current SILENTBARKER program focused on ‘closer in’ viewing of specific objects. The Space Force Association’s Spacepower 2025 conference provided the backdrop for Hochstein’s comments, which were first reported by Breaking Defense.