Central ND News

U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) activated the Space Development Agency (SDA) Operations and Networking Center at Grand Forks Air Force Base (GFAFB) on Wednesday. The center will support the agency’s Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) tracking and transport satellite missions, with the first tranche of satellites expected to launch late this year or early 2025.

“I am honored to flip the switch making this Space Development Agency Operations Center North fully functional,” said Cramer. “This is a critical step in providing warfighters capability controlled from the Grand Forks Air Force Base.”

SDA Director Dr. Derek Tournear joined Cramer on a tour of the facility. In October 2020, Cramer first brought Dr. Tournear to Grand Forks to view its Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) operations. The following year, SDA approved GFAFB to operate its future satellite mission using the base as a center to monitor and maneuver LEO satellites. Cramer has been advocating for GFAFB to receive this mission and has worked to connect federal space assets like SDA to North Dakota.

“As soon as I met [Derek Tournear], I could tell this is someone who thinks outside the bureaucracy, someone who might see space value in a place that’s not Florida or California,” said Cramer. “My instincts were correct and proven right. I showed him some of our innovative ecosystem here in Grand Forks, including Grand Sky, University of North Dakota, and Global Hawk operations at the Grand Forks Air Force Base.”

Cramer presented a flag flown over the United States Capitol to be hung in the SDA center.

During today’s tour of the Operations Center, Cramer observed how Grand Forks will have an international connection through ground stations in ally nations like Norway, Japan, and Australia. Earlier this summer, Cramer engaged with diplomats from these countries about cooperation and future opportunities when they visited North Dakota.

“While at the Operations Center today, I was able to see exactly how Grand Forks would have an international connection through its international ground stations,” said Cramer. “Between SDA’s global footprint and General Atomics’ international training, there is a growing connection between our capabilities and the global demand for expertise that resides right here in Grand Forks.”

Before concluding his visit, Cramer discussed with Dr. Tournear SDA's progress on its Advanced Fire Control Ground Infrastructure (AFCGI) request for proposal. This infrastructure is central to executing the Fire-control On Orbit-support-to-the-war Fighter prototype system successfully. Cramer has promoted GFAFB as an ideal location for future AFCGI projects.