The crosslink work has a $180 million budget for fiscal 2027, with roughly $7.3 million dedicated specifically to crosslink activities, underscoring its priority within OPIR.

The effort signals a shift toward using commercial satellite platforms for defense testing, prioritizing cost-effective, scalable constellations over a small number of expensive, large satellites.

The project seeks to demonstrate rapid data transfer across space-to-space and space-to-ground links to enable near real-time sharing of sensor data for missile-defense architectures such as the Golden Dome network.

Officials, including K2 Space’s head of strategy, say space-based crosslinks are critical for timely decision-making in missile defense, noting the unique technical challenges of testing in the MEO regime due to distance and radiation.

The U.S. Space Force is partnering with K2 Space to test laser-based optical intersatellite crosslinks and space-to-ground links between LEO and MEO as part of the OPIR Space Modernization Initiative, aimed at strengthening missile-warning capabilities.

K2 Space’s Gravitas satellite, launched recently, will host these demonstrations, with plans to launch ten more missions to build a mixed fleet carrying government, commercial, and internal research payloads.