Space Force Taps Texas Site for New Deep Space Radar, Targets Operations in 2030

TL;DR

The Space Force selected Lake Kickapoo, Texas as the site for the third Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) facility; construction is planned to begin in 2027 with operations targeted for 2030. The program includes $442 million in FY27 funding and $1.6 billion through FY31. Northrop Grumman is building the radars under a trilateral agreement among the U.S., U.K., and Australia, and a contract award is expected in 2026. This creates a multi-year procurement and construction opportunity in space domain awareness, radar systems, and associated engineering, construction, and sustainment work. Immediate implications: prime/subcontracting opportunities near Lake Kickapoo, capture activity accelerating toward a 2026 award, and heightened requirements across CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification), NIST 800-171 (NIST Special Publication 800-171), ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations), NIST 800-53, and DFARS (Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement) 252.204-7012 compliance surfaces. Contractors should begin capture qualification, compliance gap assessments, and proposal scaffolding now.

Key Points

• What happened: The Space Force selected Lake Kickapoo, Texas for the third Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) facility; Northrop Grumman will build the radars under a trilateral U.S.-U.K.-Australia agreement.
• Who is affected: Defense and aerospace market segments; NAICS codes 334511, 237990, 336414, 541330, 541715, 541990; agencies DOD and USSF.
• Timeline: Construction planned to begin in 2027; operations targeted for 2030; contract award expected in 2026; funding includes $442 million in FY27 and $1.6 billion through FY31.
• What contractors should do NOW: Initiate capture activities and teaming outreach, perform compliance gap assessments against CMMC, NIST 800-171, ITAR, NIST 800-53, and DFARS 252.204-7012, map skills to the listed NAICS codes, prepare site-specific supply chain and construction capabilities, and begin drafting proposal content and price models ahead of the expected 2026 award.

Who Is Affected

• Market segments affected: Defense, Space Systems, Radar Systems, Construction, Space Domain Awareness, Aerospace.
• Specific NAICS codes: 334511, 237990, 336414, 541330, 541715, 541990.
• Agencies: DOD, USSF.
• Contract vehicles: GSA (General Services Administration) STARS III, OASIS+.
• Compliance regimes: CMMC, NIST 800-171, ITAR, NIST 800-53, DFARS 252.204-7012.
• Specific NAICS codes, agencies, and contract vehicles pending source review for solicitation-level details.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: When will the DARC contract be awarded?

A: The Summary indicates a contract award is expected in 2026. Solicitation timing and award instrument specifics are pending source review.

Q: Who is building the radars and under what arrangement?

A: Northrop Grumman is building the radars under a trilateral agreement between the U.S., U.K., and Australia, per the Summary.

Q: What compliance and security requirements should bidders prioritize now?

A: Prioritize CMMC and NIST 800-171 controls for controlled unclassified information, DFARS 252.204-7012 requirements for defense contractors, NIST 800-53 IT controls, and ITAR compliance for export-controlled components. Detailed solicitation-driven requirements are pending source review.

Definitions

• Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC): The program name for the deep-space radar facilities referenced in the Summary.
• Deep Space Radar: Radar systems intended to detect and track objects in deep space, as described in the Summary.

Intelligence Response

• Which Cabrillo products to leverage: Use Cabrillo Signals War Room for immediate alerting (this briefing originated there), Cabrillo Signals Match Engine to rescore opportunity pipelines and reprioritize accounts against the DARC program, Cabrillo Signals Intelligence Hub to track solicitations, NAICS codes, agencies, and contract vehicles, and Proposal Studio (Proposal OS) plus Proposal Studio Workflow Tracker to build compliant proposal content and run the 9-gate capture workflow.
• Who should be notified: Capture Manager (drive teaming and bid/no-bid), Proposal Manager (begin proposal plan and pricing), BD/Lead Pursuit (partner outreach and subcontracting), Facility/Construction Lead (site logistics), and Security Officer (CMMC/NIST/ITAR gap remediation).
• First 48-hour response playbook:
• Hour 0–4: Confirm internal bid/no-bid decision and notify Capture Manager and Proposal Lead; trigger Cabrillo Signals War Room alert.
• Hour 4–12: Run automated opportunity rescore in Cabrillo Signals Match Engine; open an intelligence watch in Cabrillo Signals Intelligence Hub for solicitations and amendments.
• Hour 12–24: Start compliance gap assessment using Proposal Studio templates and map controls for CMMC, NIST 800-171, NIST 800-53, DFARS; document requirements in Proposal Studio Workflow Tracker.
• Hour 24–48: Convene capture kickoff with BD, engineering, security, and finance; populate win themes and compliance matrix in Proposal Studio and commence teaming outreach.

For capture and compliance references, see the Winning Federal Contracts Guide (/insights/winning-federal-contracts), the CMMC Compliance Guide (/insights/cmmc-compliance-guide), and the CUI (Controlled Unclassified Information)-Safe CRM Guide (/insights/cui-safe-crm-guide).