10 U.S.C. § 2273A
Section 2273a · Operationally Responsive Space Program Office
Current version, with additions and removals from the October 28, 2004 version.
(a) Requirement for Program Element.—The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that, within budget program elements for space programs of the Department of Defense, there is a separate, dedicated program element for operationally responsive national security payloads and buses of the Department of Defense for space satellites and that programs and activities for such payloads and buses are planned, programmed, and budgeted for through that program element.
(b) Management Authority.—The Secretary of Defense shall assign management authority for the program element required under subsection (a) to the Director of the Office of Force Transformation of the Department of Defense.
(c) Definition of Operationally Responsive.—In this section, the term “operationally responsive”, with respect to a national security payload and bus for a space satellite, means an experimental or operational payload and bus with a weight not in excess of 5,000 pounds that—
(1) can be developed and acquired within 18 months after authority to proceed with development is granted; and
(2) is responsive to requirements for capabilities at the operational and tactical levels of warfare.
There is within the Space Force a program office known as the Space Rapid Capabilities Office (in this section referred to as the “Office”). The facilities of the Office may not be co-located with the headquarters facilities of the Space Force Space Systems Command.
The head of the Office shall be the designee of the Secretary of the Air Force. The head of the Office shall report to the Chief of Space Operations.
The mission of the Office shall be—
to contribute to the development of low-cost, rapid reaction payloads, busses, launch, and launch control capabilities in order to fulfill joint military operational requirements for on-demand space support and reconstitution;
to coordinate and execute space rapid capabilities efforts across the Department of Defense with respect to planning, acquisition, and operations; and
to rapidly develop and field new classified space capabilities.
The acquisition activities of the Office shall be subject to the following:
The Secretary of the Air Force shall designate the acquisition executive of the Office who shall provide streamlined acquisition authorities for projects of the Office.
The Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System process shall not apply to acquisitions by the Office.
The Secretary of the Air Force shall ensure, within budget program elements for space programs, that—
there are separate, dedicated unclassified and classified program elements for space rapid capabilities; and
the Office executes the responsibilities of the Office through such program elements.
The Office shall manage the program elements required by paragraph (1).
The Secretary of the Air Force shall establish for the Office a Board of Directors (to be known as the “Space Rapid Capabilities Board of Directors”) to provide coordination, oversight, and approval of projects of the Office.