Derek Tournear departs as Space Development Agency director

The Space Development Agency announced Monday that Derek Tournear has exited his role as SDA director after more than six years at the organization’s helm.

Tournear was tapped as SDA’s leader shortly after it was established in 2019 and played a key role in growing the agency’s budget and development programs, namely the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA).

Gurpartap “GP” Sandhoo — who has been the organization’s deputy director since July — will now serve as acting director, while SDA Chief Program Officer Michael Eppolito will step in as acting deputy director, according to the agency.

SDA did not provide details as to why Tournear departed, only that he is moving on to pursue a “new opportunity.”

On Monday morning, Auburn University put out a press release announcing that Tournear was appointed its inaugural director for space innovation, a position that will be located in the organization’s Washington office.

The announcement is the latest in a string of leadership shifts at the Pentagon under the Trump administration, with other high-profile leaders having also recently exited their roles. 

During his tenure as head of SDA, Tournear oversaw the research, development and deployment of a number of disruptive space-based technologies. His leadership came under fire earlier this year when he was placed on administrative leave following an alleged contract dispute over an SDA award given in 2024. After the subsequent investigation was finished, he was reinstated as director in April.

SDA’s most prominent program is the PWSA, a future mega constellation featuring data relay and missile warning and tracking satellites that will be stationed in low-Earth orbit. The agency launched the first PWSA satellites — an experimental batch known as Tranche 0 — in 2023. After a number of delays primarily caused by supply chain bottlenecks, SDA plans to launch the first operational tranche of satellites for the architecture before the end of 2025. 

“Derek’s vision wasn’t just courageous; it was transformative,” Sandhoo said in a statement. “His unwavering commitment to innovative space acquisition strategies, coupled with the implementation of spiral development, has revolutionized the speed at which we deliver vital capabilities to the warfighter — a pace that has not been seen in previous space acquisitions.”

Prior to joining SDA, Sandhoo held leadership positions within industry, including vice president and chief architect at Quantum Space and as director for emerging technologies at Northrop Grumman. His government experience includes a year as deputy director at the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) and over 15 years working at the Naval Research Laboratory.

“GP has been an advocate for SDA since its earliest days as an agency. He has been a standout supporter of SDA in his previous government and industry roles,” Jennifer Elzea, SDA director for strategic engagement, said in a statement. “The team at SDA was thrilled to have GP officially join us in 2024 and now to serve as acting director during this new chapter in the agency’s groundbreaking mission. He will continue to drive SDA’s focus toward accelerated delivery of the PWSA in support of the warfighter.”

Updated on Sept. 8, 2025, at 11:00 AM: This story has been updated to reflect an announcement by Auburn University that Tournear has been appointed its inaugural director for space innovation.