Contract awarded for warning system
The US Space Development Agency (SDA) has reached agreements with two private space companies to supply a total of 36 satellites. The combined value of the awards amounts to 1.75 billion US dollars. The objective is to expand the American network for worldwide monitoring of missile launches.
L3Harris and Sierra Space are involved in the effort and will jointly build the satellite constellation for the next expansion phase of the system. The spacecraft are intended to detect and track ballistic and hypersonic threats.
- 36 satellites are to be manufactured
- Total contract value of 1.75 billion dollars
- Two prime contractors: L3Harris and Sierra Space
- Initiative led by the Space Development Agency
Background of the program
The procurement forms part of an ongoing US government program that gradually modernizes military space capabilities. The additional satellites are meant to improve coverage continuity and reduce response times in the event of potential threats. The SDA relies on a distributed architecture with numerous smaller units in low Earth orbit.
With the now announced batch, the existing fleet will be further enlarged. Detailed schedules for launch and operational deployment of the satellites were not specified in the announcement.