U.S. DoD awards $2.5 billion in satellite contracts for missile defense
NewsJanuary 17, 2024
WASHINGTON. The Space Development Agency (an agency within the U.S. Space Force) announced plans to acquire 20 satellites carrying a new type of payload to outfit a military communications network.
According to the Pentagon announcement, approximately $2.5 billion in contracts was awarded to L3Harris, Lockheed Martin, and Sierra Space to build a total of 54 satellites for the Tranche 2 Tracking Layer of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA), a satellite constellation focused on missile defense.
Under the terms of the contracts, each company will build 18 satellites, with 16 for missile warnings and tracking, and two with infrared sensors for missile defense.
Space Force information describes the PWSA as a constellation designed to have hundreds of on-orbit satellites, as a way to enhance resilience and redundancy. The project is planned in "tranches" or segments, with each tranche representing a new generation of satellites with increasing capabilities.
