U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA)

The U.S. Space Development Agency has awarded three companies $2.5 billion worth of contracts to supply 54 Tranche 2 missile Tracking Layer satellites.

Space-tug startup Momentus may have received a fatal blow after losing the U.S. Space Development Agency’s recent competition for 18 Tranche 2 satellites.

Rocket Lab has been awarded a $489 million contract to design, build and operate 18 Tranche 2 Transport Layer-Beta Data Transport Satellites for the SDA.

The Tracking Layer satellites are to be part of the first group of operational missile-tracking spacecraft in the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture.

The service is adding a new approach to launch contracting, as the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture takes shape.

The Gamma variant is scheduled to follow into development the first two variants of the Space Development Agency's Tranche 2 Tracking Layer.

The SDA has issued its solicitation for a new, experimental satellite constellation to look for classified threats.

Link 16 is a tactical data link used by the U.S. military, NATO, and U.S. coalition partner nations.

The spacecraft is the Pentagon’s first experimental navigation satellite in nearly 50 years.

The Space Force has assigned 21 launches for fiscal 2024 under the National Security Space Launch Phase 2 launch service procurement contract.

Northrop Grumman and York will build another 100 data transport satellites under new $1.3 billion contracts from the Space Development Agency.

Lockheed Martin has awarded Terran Orbital a contract to build 36 sat buses for the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 2 Transport Layer Beta constellation

The Space Development Agency said the launch manifest included Transport satcoms from Lockheed Martin Space and York Space Systems, and a SpaceX Tracking sat.

LeoStella and Hera Systems have formed a strategic manufacturing partnership and put forward a proposal for the U.S. Space Development Agency.

Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman have been contracted to deliver T2TL Beta satellite variants for the Space Development Agency.

The study contracts were awarded via the SDA’s System, Technologies, and Emerging Capabilities broad agency announcement.

The startup asserts that its radio-­frequency electric propulsion unit is easier to manufacture.

This is the focus of the recently announced Fire-control On Orbit-support-to-the-war Fighter (FOO Fighter) program.

SDA in April launched its first Tranche 0 data transport satellites, which will send the datalink to military cockpits and other receivers below.

The FOO Fighter system is to demonstrate defense against advanced missiles.

This includes both rapid launch to reconstitute satellite architectures and on-orbit servicing.

United Launch Alliance and SpaceX will split the dozen launch contracts under the National Space Security Launch (NSS) Phase Two program.

A request for information published May 31 adds both technologies to a narrower, previous SDA description of the Tranche 2 experimental program.

The Space Development Agency on May 12 issued a draft solicitation for the first phase of its Tranche 2 Transport Layer.

Small-satellite manufacturer has been teasing its capacity for more than a year.