Pentagon acquisition chief John Young is directing the U.S. Air Force to restructure the multibillion dollar Transformational Satellite (TSAT) program.

In a newly unveiled acquisition decision memorandum (ADM), he includes a stern note to “act immediately on this direction in order to make progress on TSAT and stop poorly using taxpayer dollars.”

The ADM, which lacks a date but was distributed late last week, directs the service to plan for a launch no later than Sept. 30, 2019 – a reflection of the decision this year to indefinitely delay a choice of designs between Lockheed Martin and Boeing while the Pentagon studies requirements.

TSAT was initially expected to provide extremely-high-bandwidth communications from and through space using Internet Protocol-routing technology and laser crosslinks. Young’s memo gives the nod to proceed with a TSAT program that lacks the laser crosslinks for shuttling data quickly through space. It will, rather, contain radio-frequency crosslinks for data transmission (much like the Milstar and Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellites preceding TSAT).

What had been in question all year is how much technology the first TSAT increment would need. Though the Air Force wanted to push forward with as much technology as possible, Marine Corps Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, took a more conservative approach. He called into question the risk associated with fielding these technologies on the first spacecraft.

Furthermore, requirements had changed since TSAT was conceived. For example, the Space Radar program – which would have relied on TSAT to move huge imagery and moving target indication files – was killed and the Army’s Future Combat Systems effort restructured again. Terminal programs for airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft also have been deferred, eliminating the need for TSAT to move that data.

Gary Payton, USAF deputy undersecretary for space programs, said during an interview last week that a new or revised request for proposals (RFP) for TSAT will come out shortly after officials in the Defense Department agree on a new plan for the program. Payton said at the time that there wasn’t yet a consensus on what the RFP and downselect schedule should be.

Photo: Boeing