Space Force to begin procurement of missile-tracking satellites for medium Earth orbit constellation

Rendering of missile-warning space sensor. Credit: L3Harris Technologies By Sandra Erwin, Published by SpaceNews, 30 October 2023 The MEO satellite program will follow the Space Development Agency’s multi-vendor approach WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force is moving forward with plans to procure 27 missile-defense satellites for a medium Earth orbit

Read More

SDA gets OK to begin limited testing of data satellites Link 16 nodes

Link 16 is a tactical military data network, used by US and NATO air-, sea- and land-base platforms. (Viasat image.) By Theresa Hitchens, Published by Breaking Defense, 26 October 2023 WASHINGTON — The Space Development Agency (SDA) finally can begin testing Link-16 signals from its Transport Layer of data relay satellites in low Earth

Read More

Space Development Agency awards York Space $615 million contract for 62 satellites

York Space satellites delivered to the Space Development Agency for the Tranche 0 Transport Layer. Credit: York Space Systems By Sandra Erwin, Published by SpaceNews, 20 October 2023 The satellites are for SDA’s Transport Layer Tranche 2 Alpha WASHINGTON — The Space Development Agency has awarded York Space a $615 million contract

Read More

Cubesats built by Blue Canyon Technologies for NASA’s TROPICS mission. Credit: Blue Canyon Technologies/RTX

New head of smallsat supplier Blue Canyon sets sights on defense market growth

Cubesats built by Blue Canyon Technologies for NASA’s TROPICS mission. Credit: Blue Canyon Technologies/RTX By Sandra Erwin, Published by SpaceNews, 9 October 2023 Former Lockheed Martin executive Chris Winslett joins Raytheon’s small-satellite subsidiary amid efforts to expand the company’s footprint in defense programs WASHINGTON — Chris Winslett for three years

Read More

Northrop Grumman will supply 36 satellites for SDA's Tranche 2 Transport Layer-Beta Data Transport Layer. NORTHROP GRUMMAN

Lockheed, Northrop share $1.5B contract for new comms satellites

By Patrick Tucker, Published by Defense One, 21 August 2023 Seventy-two satellites, which will begin launching in 2026, will be “the space backbone for the Joint All Domain Command and Control.” The Space Development Agency awarded Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin contracts to each build 36 satellites to carry data in

Read More

Space Development Agency to consider commercial LEO options to augment DoD network

By Sandra Erwin, Publishd by Space News, 17 August 2023 SpaceX, Kuiper, Aalyria were selected to conduct three-month studies WASHINGTON — SpaceX, Kuiper Government Solutions and Aalyria Technologies were selected for market-research studies on how commercial systems could add capacity to the military’s future low Earth orbit constellation.  The U.S.

Read More