A U.S. Space Force Unit supporting the Space Domain Awareness (SDA) mission tracks objects in orbit to detect threats, manage space traffic, and maintain awareness of the space environment.
Manual scheduling systems, fragmented data, and a lack of operational visibility were limiting mission performance and the Unit's ability to respond to emerging threats. Working under the Software Delivery Organization (SDO) IDIQ contract vehicle, Rise8 embedded directly with the Unit to:
- Deliver a web-based scheduling and operational management system
- Establish a continuous Authorization to Operate (cATO)-aligned path to production
- Build a Guardian-led software delivery capability the Unit owns and sustains without external dependency
Within the first year, that work turned into more telescope time on target, fewer scheduling errors, and a measurable return on investment.
The Challenge
Space is no longer a wide-open frontier. Thousands of satellites, growing fields of debris, and adversary assets have turned orbit into a high-stakes environment where speed and precision are a matter of national security.
This Unit plays a key role in maintaining that security. Aligned under Mission Delta 2 for operations and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) for research and development, the Unit tracks, monitors, and catalogs resident space objects (RSOs) to support space traffic management, collision avoidance, and threat detection, while experimenting with new ways to improve mission execution.
The Unit operates mission-critical telescopes and sensor systems, balancing daily SDA data collection with long-term research and experimentation. That dual role creates natural competition for telescope access, making scheduling a persistent challenge.
Unlike earlier efforts that primarily tracked objects, today's SDA requires insights into what those objects are doing, how they behave, and what threats they might pose. That awareness depends on uninterrupted observations, fast decision-making, and the ability to pivot priorities in real time. The Unit had the mission and the talent to deliver on that awareness, but legacy tools made it all challenging to execute:
- Fragmented scheduling data spread across several shared calendars and a number of documents forced operators to manually check multiple sources for conflicts, certifications, and availability, leading to missed updates and delayed conflict resolution.
- Staffing conflicts and resource allocation problems caused observation cancellations when manual verification processes missed certification requirements or availability shortages.
- Leadership lacked timely access to operational data, limiting their ability to evaluate mission performance, identify maintenance priorities, or secure necessary resources.
- Disconnected PTO and certification tracking created staffing blind spots, leading to missed observations and lost SDA opportunities.
- Without a single source of truth for operational status, incident history, or system health, leaders made decisions about maintenance and resource investment without reliable data.
Each missed data collection window created a gap in space traffic monitoring and threat detection. A single overlooked certification check could leave a telescope offline during a key observation window, forfeiting valuable data, and triggering last-minute staff reassignments. As more nations and commercial actors deploy assets in orbit, those inefficiencies escalate into national security risks.
The Unit needed a better way to schedule, operate, and scale without the limitations of legacy tools and traditional acquisition timelines
The Approach
The USSF awarded Rise8 work through the SDO IDIQ, a contract vehicle specifically designed to accelerate software delivery. The SDO IDIQ eliminated the lengthy solicitation process that would have otherwise delayed the start of delivery by months. Rise8 was able to embed with the Unit and begin discovery within weeks, not months or quarters, of award, a distinction that matters when operational gaps are actively affecting the mission.
Rise8 was able to embed with the Unit and begin discovery within weeks, not months or quarters, of award
Instead of asking the Unit to work around outdated systems, Rise8 helped it rebuild its scheduling approach and software development processes. The effort centered on three parallel tracks: delivering the scheduling system as the Unit's first mission application, establishing a secure and repeatable path to production, and building a Guardian-led delivery capability that would persist after the engagement ended.
The Integrated Software Squadron Model
Delivering across IL4, IL6, and on-premises means no two environments are the same. Rise8 built a standardized foundation that worked across all three.
- Developed and deployed secure development and production environments across IL4, IL6, and on-premise to support consistent integration and deployment processes.
- Standardized delivery pipelines using GitLab CI, Terraform (IaC), and GitOps (ArgoCD) for consistent, auditable software releases.
- Maintained version parity across environments, allowing developers to build and test at the unclassified level and promote code to IL6 without direct access to SIPRNet.
- Delivered continuous updates to CSpOC operators without compromising security controls.
- Optimized cloud infrastructure through cluster consolidation, right-sizing, and reserved instance allocation, while maintaining Point-in-Time-Restore (PITR) capabilities.
Path to Production
Rise8 conducted a cloud and platform assessment evaluating Platform One and other options for IL4 compatibility, cost, and operational fit. Platform One was selected and deployed as the production environment. Rise8 then configured a continuous Risk Management Framework (cRMF)/cATO-aligned continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipeline with built-in security checks, passive vulnerability scanning, and production telemetry, enabling the Unit to deploy software updates continuously without repeated accreditation cycles or bureaucratic lag. Security became part of every sprint through inherited controls, test-driven development (TDD), and hardened Iron Bank containers
Guardian Enablement
Rise8 paired engineers, product managers, and UX designers directly with Supra Coders and Guardian operators throughout delivery, using an "I do, we do, you do" model. Lightweight onboarding documentation and developer pairing protocols were built to maintain continuity across the 30-120 day Supra Coder rotation cycle. Operators participated in direct feedback sessions to validate features against real mission needs, and Guardians led the first set of development stories.
Mission Impact
Rise8 applies the Mission OS model, our own adaptation of the Kellogg Logic model, to connect technical execution to mission outcomes.
The three mission impacts below represent durable, strategic changes in Unit capability. Each is traced back through the outcomes, outputs, activities, and resources that produced it, and each is rooted in a specific mission question: what can the Unit do now that it couldn't before?
Summary
The scheduling system has changed how this Unit carries out its SDA mission. The Unit now has tools for efficient scheduling, proactive maintenance, and continuous operational improvements, without waiting for external support.
The SDO IDIQ contract vehicle was the enabling mechanism that made this possible at the speed the mission required. By eliminating the friction of traditional solicitation timelines, Rise8 was able to move from contract award to active delivery in weeks. That speed matters. Every month spent waiting on acquisition is a month of operational gaps that compound.
The Integrated Software Squadron model provides a repeatable structure that other Space Force units can adopt to become self-sufficient software delivery teams. Embedding software capability directly into operational units fast-tracks innovation and matches mission tools to space security needs at the pace the mission demands.
With a functioning path to production, trained Guardians, and a live operational intelligence layer, this Unit is no longer dependent on acquisition cycles or external vendors to improve its mission software, resulting in a durable outcome: a squadron that can build, iterate, and respond.
As adoption of the Integrated Software Squadron model grows across the Space Force, this Unit remains a proof point of what digitally-enabled SDA operations can look like when the people closest to the mission are also the ones building the tools.
Contract Information
This work was awarded under Rise8's Autonomy Prime SDO IDIQ contract and continued through a follow-up SBIR Specific Topic Award, supporting mission development and digital transformation within the United States Space Force.
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