The Government Accountability Office is raising concerns about the Space Development Agency’s ability to deliver planned missile warning and tracking capabilities under the Department of War’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, or PWSA.
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In a report published Wednesday, GAO said the department’s plan to deploy a large constellation of satellites to detect and track missile threats faces execution risks stemming from technology maturity, scheduling and cost-management challenges.
What Risks Did GAO Identify?
GAO found that SDA has taken an overly optimistic view of the maturity of several critical technologies, including spacecraft that require mission-specific design changes. As a result, contractors have had to complete additional, unexpected work, contributing to schedule delays.
The report also said the department relies primarily on individual contractor schedules rather than an integrated program-level timeline, limiting its ability to assess how changes could affect satellite launches and overall program delivery.
Beyond scheduling issues, GAO identified shortcomings in requirements development and cost transparency. Combatant commands reported limited insight into how requirements are established and whether planned capabilities align with operational needs. In addition, incomplete cost data from early tranches has prevented DOW from producing a reliable life-cycle cost estimate, increasing uncertainty about the architecture’s long-term affordability.
What Did GAO Recommend?
To address the risks, GAO issued six recommendations aimed at enhancing technology readiness assessments, strengthening collaboration with warfighters, establishing an architecture-wide schedule, producing a more credible cost estimate and requiring more robust cost data in future contracts. The DOW concurred with five recommendations and partially concurred with one.
