The U.S. Space Force’s RG-XX satellite procurement has entered source selection following an October 26, 2026, bid deadline, according to Scout Space chief product officer Courtney Sayles. Speaking at the MilSat Symposium on October 29, Sayles said she expected awards in 2027.
SatNews’s panel reporting identifies the competition as a delivery order under Andromeda, the contracting framework supporting the next generation of geosynchronous reconnaissance and surveillance spacecraft. Scout Space participates as a subcontractor and develops optical sensors and autonomy software for space domain awareness.
RG-XX is intended to succeed the Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program. Its mission concerns detecting, tracking, and characterizing objects in the geosynchronous region, where many communications and other high-altitude satellites operate.
How Andromeda Organizes the Procurement
Space Systems Command announced 14 indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract awards under Andromeda in April 2026. Its program announcement, reproduced in a public copy of the release, describes delivery orders as the mechanism for developing the RG-XX space segment.
The selected contractors include established defense suppliers and newer spacecraft companies. Among them are Astranis, Anduril, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Sierra Space, True Anomaly, and Turion Space. The framework establishes a group of eligible suppliers, with delivery orders specifying subsequent work.
Space Systems Command describes the planned architecture as proliferated, meaning that it distributes the surveillance mission across more spacecraft. The agency identifies increased reconnaissance activity, resilience, and affordability as objectives of that approach.
The spacecraft are intended to collect information about objects and activity in geosynchronous orbit. The command also identifies support for resolving anomalies affecting U.S. systems as part of the surveillance mission.
Supplier Expectations for the Initial Orders
Sayles linked the anticipated procurement quantities to manufacturing economics. She described expected initial purchases of approximately two spacecraft from two or three companies and said larger component orders would give suppliers more scope to reduce costs. Those quantities and the 2027 award timing were her expectations as an industry participant.
The panel also discussed contract structure. Astranis director of programs Servando Cuellar expressed support for the Space Force’s use of fixed-price contracting. The discussion placed spacecraft order size and contract terms alongside the program’s operational goal: acquiring the next generation of space-based surveillance capabilities for geosynchronous orbit.
