The Space Development Agency’s first director is already out

The director of the Space Development Agency has resigned after just over three months on the job.

“Dr. Fred Kennedy has been serving on a detail from DARPA as the director of the Space Development Agency. He has stepped down from that role and is returning to DARPA. An acting director of SDA will be announced soon,” said DoD spokeswoman Heather Babb in a statement to C4ISRNET.

The news was first reported by Breaking Defense June 21.

Kennedy was named the agency’s first director when it was originally stood up by acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan March 12. At the time, Kennedy was serving as the current director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Tactical Technology Office. He served prior to that as the senior policy adviser for national security space and aviation in the National Security and International Affairs Division of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

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Babb went on to clarify that Kennedy’s resignation would not change the direction of the SDA.

“There is no change to the mission or activities of the Space Development Agency. SDA will drive the department’s future threat-driven space architecture and will accelerate the development and fielding of the new military space capabilities necessary to ensure our technological and military advantage in space for national defense,” she said.

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