Space Development Agency confirms Tracking Layer providers
SpaceX and L3Harris to develop satellites for system to provide global indications, warning, tracking, and targeting of advanced missile threats, including hypersonic missile systems.
The US Space Development Agency (SDA) has again awarded SpaceX and L3Harris contracts to manufacture missile-warning satellites, confirming an original decision that was subject to protests from Airbus and Raytheon.
A re-evaluation of the $193.5 million deal for L3Harris and the $150.45 million contract for SpaceX confirmed that the two offers deliver the best value.
The first Tranche 0 Transport and Tracking Layer space vehicles are scheduled to be launched September 2022. The entire constellation will be placed on orbit no later than 31 March 2023, the SDA announced.
Tracking Layer is intended to provide global indications, warning, tracking, and targeting of advanced missile threats, including hypersonic missile systems. It will comprise a heterogeneous constellation of wide FoV space vehicles that provide persistent global coverage, combined with Missile Defense Agency (MDA) Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS) medium FoV satellites that provide a precision global access capability.
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