Central ND News

Senator John Hoeven announced efforts to expand the Space Development Agency (SDA) satellite mission at the Grand Forks Air Force Base. The announcement was made alongside SDA Director Dr. Derek Tournear during a review of the ongoing development of facilities for the SDA’s low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite mission, which aims to support U.S. military communications.

“SDA operations in Grand Forks are ready for takeoff. When the Tranche 1 LEO satellites launch this year, Operations Center North will be squarely in the middle of military operations across the globe, but our efforts don’t stop there. We’ve worked to ensure both the ops center and the TAC have enough capacity to house future SDA operations, like the Advanced Fire Control capabilities that are currently being developed,” said Senator Hoeven. “AFC will enable mission-critical satellite info to be relayed to our warfighters in real time, giving the U.S. and its allies a strategic advantage. Between LEO, future AFC operations and the SkyRange hypersonic missile testing program at Grand Sky, this region is truly positioned to lead in the future of our nation’s defense. That’s not only good for our security but will benefit the economy throughout the Red River Valley.”

“The Grand Forks community has provided outstanding support for SDA and the crucial work we are doing to deliver the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture,” said Derek Tournear, director of SDA. “Our Tranche 1 Space Networking Operations Center is nearing completion and we’re growing the role of the TCC into a more comprehensive center aimed at operating our future advanced fire control satellites in addition to onboarding new tranches. So, we’re renaming the TCC to Technology Acceleration Center or TAC, to more properly reflect the growing impact of the center.”

In 2021, Senator Hoeven announced Air Force approval for establishing SDA’s new LEO satellite mission at Grand Forks after efforts with SDA officials including Director Tournear and Senator Kevin Cramer. The mission may eventually involve not only operating SDA satellites but also linking them with unmanned aerial systems (UAS), complementing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.

Hoeven previously hosted Tournear in North Dakota to discuss establishing a new center and announce a laser communications project pursued by SDA in collaboration with General Atomics. The senator also joined Tournear at Cape Canaveral for launch operations where five key satellites were launched central to space networking efforts.

Operations Center North will support initial layers of satellite operations designed for data transport and communication facilitation with launches scheduled this year.