The Space Development Agency (SDA) is resuming its satellite launch campaign after a months-long pause prompted by technical problems, according to DefenseScoop.
The agency stepped back from launching new satellites so it could address issues discovered on spacecraft already in orbit. SDA Director Gurpartap Sandhoo told reporters the problems spanned both software and hardware.
"We did see software and hardware issues on the ones on orbit right now," Sandhoo said, as reported by DefenseScoop. "That's why we kind of delayed and took a pause to make sure we fix at least the known issues."
His wording — fixing "at least the known issues" — suggests the agency wanted to resolve the identified problems before adding more satellites to its constellation, rather than compounding them across a larger fleet.
DefenseScoop reports that the campaign is now moving forward again, signaling the agency has enough confidence in its fixes to put more hardware into space.
The SDA is responsible for building out a large, proliferated network of small satellites in low Earth orbit intended to support U.S. military communications and missile tracking. Pauses and technical setbacks in such programs can affect delivery timelines for capabilities the Defense Department is counting on.
Why it matters: The pause and restart offer a rare public look at how a major military space program is managing real-world glitches in orbit, and whether it can keep an ambitious launch schedule on track while doing so.