DARPA Oversight programme development is moving toward the tactical edge in space. Under a new Phase 2 award, BAE Systems’ FAST Labs will mature autonomous algorithms designed to keep continuous custody of many ground targets using proliferated satellite constellations.
Key Facts
- Contract: $16 million Phase 2 award to BAE Systems’ FAST Labs.
- Programme: DARPA Oversight, focused on autonomous “continuous custody” for large target sets.
- Approach: On-orbit coordination and processing to reduce latency and improve revisit cadence.
- Deployment: Tactical-edge satellites and supporting ground stations.
- Locations: Burlington, Massachusetts and Merrimack, New Hampshire; AIMdyn supports as a subcontractor.
Why DARPA is pushing ‘continuous custody’ from orbit
DARPA’s Oversight concept targets a familiar operational problem: tracking many mobile ground targets at once. In practice, commanders need fast updates, reliable correlation, and consistent identification over time.
Traditionally, many architectures send raw or lightly processed sensor data to the ground for fusion. However, that approach can add latency and create bottlenecks. It can also reduce responsiveness when communications degrade or adversaries contest ground links.
Instead, Oversight aims to coordinate sensing and processing in orbit. As a result, the system can lower latency and increase revisit rates. That combination supports near real-time tracking, not delayed custody.
What BAE Systems’ FAST Labs will deliver in Phase 2
In Phase 1, BAE integrated its software into a modelling and simulation environment. It then demonstrated persistent tracking using representative satellite and sensor models.
Phase 2 shifts to algorithm maturity and scale. Specifically, the effort will expand to larger constellations and more complex scenarios. At the same time, it will prepare the software for deployment on operational hardware.
BAE also expects the deployment footprint to span tactical-edge satellites and ground stations. Moreover, the company frames the programme as part of a wider shift. That shift moves processing and decision-support closer to the point of collection.
“Future mission requirements are pushing capabilities to the tactical edge. In space, this means operating primarily on-board satellites. Through this program, we will help make the space domain more tactically relevant for warfighters.”
Dr Ben Cooper, Senior Principal Scientist, FAST Labs
Operational value: lower latency, higher revisit, tighter decision loops
If Oversight succeeds, it could tighten the entire detect-to-decide loop. First, on-orbit coordination can reduce the time between collections. Then, on-board processing can prioritize what matters and downlink higher-value outputs.
In contested environments, this architecture can also improve resilience. For example, operators may keep a usable track picture even when connectivity to central fusion nodes becomes intermittent.
That said, on-orbit autonomy also raises engineering demands. Developers must manage compute limits, thermal budgets, power constraints, and cyber-hardening. Consequently, Phase 2 maturation on operational hardware will be as important as algorithm performance.
Industry implications: edge processing becomes a space ISR differentiator
Oversight reflects a broader trend in proliferated space: more satellites, more sensors, and more data. Therefore, competitive advantage increasingly depends on smart tasking, selective processing, and efficient dissemination.
In other words, constellations do not only need coverage. They also need autonomy, orchestration, and decision-support built into the architecture.
Over time, these capabilities can make the space domain more tactically relevant. They can also reshape how militaries balance collection, processing, and exploitation across space and ground segments.
What to watch next
During Phase 2, the key question will be scale under realism. In particular, stakeholders will watch how performance holds as constellations grow and scenarios become more dynamic.
Additionally, implementation details will matter. Teams will need robust approaches to timing, cross-satellite coordination, and graceful degradation. If those elements mature, Oversight could become a template for future on-orbit tracking and custody missions.
Further Reading
- Proliferated constellations and space ISR: what changes for C2
- Quantum-secure communications and mega-constellations in space
- DARPA official website
- BAE Systems official website
References
- Provided source text describing BAE Systems FAST Labs’ $16 million Phase 2 award under DARPA’s Oversight programme (add your source URL here).
- DARPA official website (for programme context): darpa.mil
- BAE Systems official website (company background): baesystems.com
