Sandhoo named Space Development Agency director, PAE for missile warning and tracking
Gurpartap “GP” Sandhoo has officially been named as director of the Space Development Agency and the new portfolio acquisition executive for Space Force’s missile warning and tracking programs, the agency announced Tuesday.
Previously SDA’s deputy director, Sandhoo has been leading the agency as acting director since September 2025, when Derek Tournear stepped down from the role. In the last few months, Sandhoo has overseen SDA begin the highly anticipated launch campaign of its foundational program — the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA).
The announcement that Sandhoo will not only head SDA, but also serve in a dual-hatted position as PAE for missile warning and tracking, comes as the Space Force reorganizes its acquisition structure in line with broader efforts across the Pentagon.
Since it was created in 2019, SDA’s role has been to rapidly acquire and launch advanced space capabilities into low-Earth orbit. The agency’s main effort is the PWSA, envisioned as a mega-constellation of satellites carrying critical data-transport and missile-warning payloads launched in tranches.
However, the Space Force recently revealed its plans not to pursue future tranches of the PWSA’s transport layer. Instead, the service plans to roll the requirements of the transport layer into a broader effort known as the Space Data Network, according to the Space Force’s fiscal 2027 budget request.
The service’s missile warning and tracking portfolio includes more satellites than SDA developed for the PWSA. As PAE for the mission area, Sandhoo will now oversee additional efforts such as the Resilient Missile Warning and Missile Tracking – MEO program.
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 brings a wealth of experience to this position and is already jumping into his new program acquisition executive responsibilities,” Thomas Ainsworth, who is performing the duties of assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition and integration, said in a statement. “This effort reflects a renewed focus on aligning authorities with accountability, and a strategic commitment to accomplish the global missile warning and tracking mission.”
