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Reuters has published a significant report on the Space Development Agency (SDA), part of the US Space Force. The agency has signed a contract with four major defense contractors: Lockheed Martin, L3 Harris, Northrop Grumman and Rocket Lab USA. Each company will be responsible for building eighteen satellites, for a total of seventy-two, at a cost of approximately $3.5 billion.
These satellites are not ordinary; they operate in the infrared and will be used for missile early warning and surveillance systems, as well as defense systems. They are scheduled to be launched into low Earth orbit in 2029. The satellites will provide nearly global missile early warning coverage, and their payloads will provide accurate fire control data for defense purposes, said SDA administrator Gurpartap Sandhu.
The satellites are part of a third batch, and the company aims to launch a new batch every two years to improve its technology. Last September, the first batch of satellites was launched using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Center in California.
The ambitious plan is to have a total of 154 operational satellites in the first phase, which will be ready for initial combat capability by 2027. This is a significant step in demonstrating that the United States is serious about space technology and security.
These satellites are not ordinary; they operate in the infrared and will be used for missile early warning and surveillance systems, as well as defense systems. They are scheduled to be launched into low Earth orbit in 2029. The satellites will provide nearly global missile early warning coverage, and their payloads will provide accurate fire control data for defense purposes, said SDA administrator Gurpartap Sandhu.
The satellites are part of a third batch, and the company aims to launch a new batch every two years to improve its technology. Last September, the first batch of satellites was launched using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Center in California.
The ambitious plan is to have a total of 154 operational satellites in the first phase, which will be ready for initial combat capability by 2027. This is a significant step in demonstrating that the United States is serious about space technology and security.