Project 2025 Tracker / What’s done, what’s next

4. Department of Defense · Minor

Replace the Space Development Agency's "fail-early" approach

Not started

119 4. Department of Defense

“Alter the Space Development Agency's current "fail-early" approach and transition to a methodology that maintains aggressive timelines but with significantly greater engineering rigor, with special attention to sustainment, support, and fully integrated space operations.”

What has happened

  1. Not started

    Congress moved the other way. Section 1604 of the FY2026 NDAA extends the Space Development Agency's authority to use the middle tier acquisition (rapid prototyping and rapid fielding) pathway for the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture to Tranches 4, 5 and 6 - continuing, for three more tranches, the fast spiral-development model the Quote asks to be replaced with greater engineering rigour. Nothing in the enacted text imposes new engineering, sustainment or integration requirements on the agency, and "Space Development Agency" returns zero hits in the Federal Register in the window.

Research log

What was searched, and what didn’t count as evidence

Research notes

Congress moved the other way, and that contrary action is cited as Evidence on the not started event. The FY2024 NDAA (P.L. 118-31, sec. 1608(a)) had authorized the pathway for Tranches 1 to 3; sec. 1604 adds paragraphs (4), (5) and (6) for Tranches 4, 5 and 6.

  • One negative search covered the page 118–119 space asks together.

FY2027 NDAA, House-passed (searched 2026-09-24). H.R. 8800 passed the House 216–212 on 2026-07-22 (Roll no. 278) and was received in the Senate on 2026-09-14. Engrossed text: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-119hr8800eh/html/BILLS-119hr8800eh.htm. Sec. 1601(a) would eliminate the Space Development Agency. It repeals 10 U.S.C. 9087 and hands the agency’s statutory roles to “the portfolio acquisition executive of the Space Force designated under section 1732 of this title with respect to missile warning and tracking”. Sec. 1601(b) likewise repeals the Space Rapid Capabilities Office (10 U.S.C. 2273a). The Quote asks that the agency change its methodology, adding engineering rigor while keeping aggressive timelines. Abolishing the agency does not deliver that, and nothing in sec. 1601 imposes engineering, sustainment or integration requirements. No event. It passed one chamber only. If enacted, this item would be an ask addressed to a body that no longer exists, and its object is the agency’s own methodology — something that cannot be in the asked-for state with the agency gone. That gives not started, with the repeal as Evidence that the record moved the other way.

Action
other
Object
Space Development Agency acquisition methodology
ID
237