Space Force shifts into high gear on cislunar warfare, with RFIs coming soon

The Space Force plans two requests for information, or RFIs, to identify commercial capabilities for cislunar missions. The first will focus on foundational services, including space domain awareness and positioning, navigation, and timing. The second will seek artificial-intelligence software that helps spacecraft operate autonomously between Earth and the Moon.

The key mechanism is rapid acquisition. Purdy said the service wants existing commercial or near-commercial hardware, software, and ground systems with relevant evidence behind them. It does not want to spend large research-and-development budgets creating entirely new systems.

The target is operational capability by the fourth quarter of fiscal 2029. The requests are expected soon, with the AI-focused RFI arriving alongside or shortly after the first. The approach also includes an integrated network, rather than treating spacecraft and ground systems as separate purchases.

Cislunar space generally means the volume extending from Earth’s vicinity to the Moon and through the Moon’s orbital environment. It includes routes between Earth and the Moon, lunar orbit, and important locations shaped by both bodies’ gravity. The article describes it as the “vast region between Earth and the Moon.”

This region matters because spacecraft there cannot rely on the same assumptions used close to Earth. Missions may need specialized navigation, communications, tracking, and autonomous decision-making. The Space Force’s planned RFIs target those needs, especially space domain awareness, positioning, navigation, timing, and onboard autonomy.

The article does not provide a precise boundary or measurement for cislunar space. It does show the area’s strategic importance growing. US officials now describe it as a warfighting domain, while the Space Force is coordinating with NASA on future infrastructure and seeking commercial systems that can be fielded by fiscal 2029.

Defense officials are treating cislunar space as a warfighting domain because they see it becoming strategically important and increasingly contested. Purdy gave the clearest reason: “China is moving out in this area,” while the United States traditionally has not. Senior leaders now want US military interests represented around the Moon.

A specific warning sign was China’s launch of 30 Cubesats into a highly elliptical orbit near an Earth-Moon Lagrange point and into circular lunar orbit. China described the project as a science experiment at recent United Nations-related meetings. Several experts told Breaking Defense that it was clearly intended to support cislunar surveillance.

The policy response is accelerating. The Pentagon is creating interagency working groups, while the Space Force established a Cislunar Coordination Office in May. The service is seeking commercial awareness, navigation, timing, and autonomous-operation capabilities rather than waiting for long development programs.

Cislunar space is much larger than the near-Earth region usually used by satellites. It stretches across the distance between Earth and the Moon and includes lunar orbit. That means spacecraft may operate hundreds of thousands of kilometers from Earth instead of within the much smaller neighborhood close to Earth.

The operating challenge is not just distance. Communications take longer, signals are weaker, and spacecraft must navigate through a gravitational environment shaped by both Earth and the Moon. Routes can also pass near Lagrange points and other special orbital regions. These conditions make tracking, positioning, timing, and autonomous decisions more demanding.

The article does not give a precise size comparison or a measured difficulty level. It does call the region vast and says spacecraft will need autonomy there. The Space Force therefore wants commercial awareness and navigation systems, plus AI capable of supporting operations between Earth and the Moon.

If the United States could not monitor spacecraft, communicate reliably, or maintain positioning and timing in cislunar space, military operations would become less coordinated and less predictable. Operators could have difficulty knowing where spacecraft are, directing them safely, or determining when and where actions should occur. Awareness of other spacecraft would also be reduced.

The mechanism is straightforward. Space domain awareness tracks objects and activities. Communications carry commands and data. Positioning, navigation, and timing support accurate movement and synchronized operations. Losing any of these functions can make missions slower, less precise, and more vulnerable to interference or surprise.

The article does not describe a specific military failure or attack. It does show that the Space Force considers these capabilities foundational. Its first RFI will seek commercial systems for awareness and PNT, while a second will seek AI enabling spacecraft to operate autonomously across the vast Earth-Moon region.

The Space Force is choosing commercial systems because it wants rapid, usable capability rather than a long government development cycle. Purdy said the service wants existing or near-commercial hardware, software requiring limited additional work, and ground systems supported by relevant evidence. The target is fielding by the fourth quarter of fiscal 2029.

Working with NASA adds another advantage. The two agencies can compare infrastructure plans and identify gaps instead of creating separate systems that duplicate one another. Purdy said the government is attempting to build a unified architecture and determine where military investment is actually needed beyond NASA’s plans.

This approach also gives industry a clearer signal. The Cislunar Coordination Office was established in May to support the broader Space Force effort and clarify military needs. Requirements and acquisition teams still define missions and buy capabilities. The result could be faster procurement, shared infrastructure, and less duplicated spending.

Lagrange points are positions in a two-body system where the gravity of the larger bodies and a spacecraft’s orbital motion create a useful balance. In the Earth-Moon system, these points can let spacecraft remain near a relatively stable geometry while using less fuel than ordinary station-keeping may require. They are useful for observation, communications, and science missions.

The key mechanism is gravitational balance in a rotating orbital system. A spacecraft still moves and is affected by gravity, but the combined forces can make its position relative to Earth and the Moon easier to maintain. Some points are more stable than others, so spacecraft may still need correction maneuvers.

The article mentions China launching 30 Cubesats into a highly elliptical orbit near one Earth-Moon Lagrange point and into circular lunar orbit. It does not explain Lagrange-point mechanics, so that definition uses established spaceflight knowledge. Experts viewed the project as supporting cislunar surveillance.