Space Systems Command awarded Anduril Industries a $100.3 million contract modification on May 5, 2026, expanding the SDANet contract ceiling from $99.7 million to $200 million and extending performance through September 23, 2027. The modification — designated P00008 — funds the next phase of deployment, upgrades, and continuous development of SDANet, the Space Force's secure mesh networking architecture that connects Space Surveillance Network sensors across the globe into a unified, AI-enabled data fabric.

What SDANet Is

The Space Domain Awareness Network (SDANet) is Anduril's implementation of a resilient, software-defined mesh network that links the Space Force's constellation of ground-based radar, optical, and signals collection sites — the Space Surveillance Network — into a single integrated sensor enterprise. Before SDANet, SSN sensors operated largely in isolation, transmitting data to central processing nodes through proprietary, inflexible data links that created latency, single points of failure, and significant manual processing overhead.

SDANet uses Anduril's Lattice software platform — the same AI-enabled autonomous systems command and control software that Anduril deploys for counter-drone, border surveillance, and undersea sensing missions — to create a dynamic mesh where each sensor node communicates directly with its neighbors, routes data around outages or jamming, and applies machine learning to distinguish real objects from clutter in real time. The result is a more resilient, faster, and more automated space surveillance architecture that can track the approximately 27,000 objects currently catalogued in Earth orbit.

Work under the contract is performed at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado Springs — headquarters of Space Systems Command's Space Domain Awareness and Combat Power program office — as well as at Anduril's main engineering facility in Costa Mesa, California, and at SDANet sensor node locations around the world. No funds were obligated at the time of the modification announcement; funding will be drawn against the ceiling as task orders are issued.

Anduril's Expanding Space Portfolio

The SDANet modification is the second major Space Force expansion for Anduril in recent months, following the separate Andromeda program ceiling increase to $6.2 billion announced last week. These two programs represent distinct missions: Andromeda covers space superiority and offensive/defensive space control capabilities across a consortium of firms, while SDANet is an Anduril-exclusive contract focused specifically on sensor networking and data processing for the space surveillance mission.

Anduril has rapidly built a space portfolio over the past three years, leveraging its software-first approach to offer capabilities that traditional defense primes have struggled to deliver on commercially competitive timelines. The company's willingness to accept smaller initial contracts with defined expansion paths — as SDANet demonstrates, starting at $99.7M and doubling to $200M as the technology proves out — has been a deliberate strategy to get its software embedded in critical government systems before larger companies can respond with competitive bids.

Space Domain Awareness as a Strategic Priority

The Space Force has identified space domain awareness — knowing where every object in orbit is, what it is, and what it is doing — as its foundational mission. Without accurate, timely, and comprehensive space object tracking, every other space mission is at risk: satellites cannot maneuver to avoid collisions, offensive space threats cannot be attributed, and GPS navigation signals cannot be trusted if the satellites providing them are being interfered with.

The urgency of SDA investment has been driven by two factors. First, the rapid growth of commercial satellite constellations — SpaceX's Starlink alone has launched more than 6,000 satellites, with plans for 42,000 — is congesting the orbital environment and increasing the background noise for surveillance systems designed for a much less cluttered space. Second, China and Russia have demonstrated sophisticated anti-satellite capabilities including directed energy weapons, co-orbital attack satellites, and electronic jamming systems that require near-real-time tracking to detect and attribute.

What It Means for Contractors

  • Anduril's SDANet platform is built on a software-defined architecture with open APIs — firms developing specialized space object characterization algorithms, signals intelligence processing tools, or orbital mechanics software should engage with Anduril about integration opportunities.
  • The sensor node installation and maintenance work at SSN sites worldwide creates opportunities for firms with cleared facility operations experience and international reach — particularly at remote radar sites in the Pacific, Indian Ocean, and Europe.
  • Space domain awareness is one of the fastest-growing segments of the Space Force budget; firms not currently in this market should evaluate the Space Systems Command's SDA program office solicitation pipeline for companion contracts covering sensor hardware, ground infrastructure, and operator training.

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