Tag Archives: constellation

Space Development Agency awards roughly $3.5 billion to 4 companies for 72 missile tracking and warning satellites

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The U.S. Space Force’s Space Development Agency (SDA) has awarded approximately $3.5 billion to four companies to begin building the third generation of its low Earth orbit constellation. The SDA issued firm fixed-price Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreements with L3Harris Technologies, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Rocket Lab to build a total of 72 satellites for the Tracking Layer Tranche 3 (TRKT3) of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) constellation in low Earth orbit.

“The Tracking Layer of Tranche 3, once integrated with the PWSA Transport Layer, will significantly increase the coverage and accuracy needed to close kill chains against advanced adversary threats,” said SDA Acting Director Gurpartap ‘GP’ Sandhoo. “The constellation will include a mix of missile warning and missile tracking, with half the constellation’s payloads supporting advanced missile defense missions to pace evolving threats.”

### Satellite Capabilities and Launch Timeline

The satellites are slated to begin launching in fiscal year 2029 and will cover two types of sensing capabilities: missile warning/missile tracking (MW/MT) infrared (IR) sensors and missile warning, tracking, and defense (MWTD) sensors. Each of the four companies will build 18 satellites.

Here’s the breakdown of funds allocated to each company and the satellites they will build:

– **Lockheed Martin:** $1.1 billion for 18 MWTD space vehicles (SVs)
– **L3Harris Technologies:** $843 million for 18 MW/MT SVs
– **Rocket Lab:** $805 million for 18 MWTD SVs
– **Northrop Grumman:** $764 million for 18 MW/MT SVs

“The addition of these satellites will achieve near-continuous global coverage for missile warning and tracking, along with payloads capable of generating fire control quality tracks for missile defense,” Sandhoo added. “This is a prime example of spiral development: the ability to rapidly integrate the next generation of technologies, and to proliferate the most impactful capabilities for increased capacity and lethality.”

### Rocket Lab’s Role and Technology

In its announcement to investors, Rocket Lab noted that the initial amount is a base contract, with up to $10.45 million in options available. The company will build these satellites on its Lightning satellite bus featuring Rocket Lab’s next-generation Phoenix infrared sensor payload — a wide field-of-view (WFOV) solution designed to meet evolving missile defense needs for national security space. Additionally, the satellites will include the advanced StarLite space protection sensors, designed to safeguard the constellation against directed energy threats.

Rocket Lab also revealed that some other companies on this contract are incorporating its StarLite sensors.

“The Tranche 3 Tracking Layer constellation is part of the U.S. Space Force’s strategy to counter rapidly evolving global threats, ensuring the nation’s defense capabilities remain ahead of adversaries. Rocket Lab is honored to play a role in enabling this,” said Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Peter Beck. “Demand for resilient, scalable, and affordable space systems continues to grow, and this award demonstrates that Rocket Lab is uniquely positioned to lead the charge in delivering solutions that meet the needs of national security.”

This contract marks Rocket Lab’s second award from the SDA, adding to its $515 million award for 18 satellites with the SDA’s Transporter Layer-Beta Tranche 2 program, which will enhance secure, low-latency communications across the PWSA.

### L3Harris Technologies’ Expanding Fleet

L3Harris is expanding on its earlier allotments of four missile tracking satellites launched as part of Tranche 0, plus 34 satellites currently in development across Tranche 1 and Tranche 2. The company recently opened a new facility on its Palm Bay, Florida campus dedicated to the production of Tranche 1 and Tranche 2 satellites.

“L3Harris is proud to support SDA in its mission to deliver a next-generation, layered defense architecture that can track threats in real time,” said Christopher Kubasik, Chair and CEO of L3Harris. “Defeating the hypersonic missile threat begins in space, and our Tranche 3 satellites will advance our proven, on-orbit tracking and targeting capability needed to protect our homeland.”

### Northrop Grumman’s Continued Commitment

Northrop Grumman is now responsible for 150 satellites across the first three Tranches for the SDA. The first plane of its Tranche 1 Transport Layer (T1TL) satellites is set to launch in early 2026.

“Northrop Grumman’s contributions to both high and low altitude layers of our nation’s missile warning and tracking architecture help protect our nation from a wide range of threats,” said Brandon White, Vice President and General Manager of the space-enabled multi-domain operations division at Northrop Grumman. “With our extensive history of fielding operational Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) satellites, we are poised to rapidly deliver the TRKT3 satellites to the SDA.”

### Lockheed Martin’s Largest Contract Share

Lockheed Martin received the largest portion of the contract, valued at $1.1 billion for its 18 MWTD satellites. Earlier, in January 2024, the company was awarded an $890 million contract for 18 Tranche 2 Tracking Layer satellites. Lockheed Martin launched 21 of its T1TL satellites in October 2025 and has another 21 in production.

The 18 TRKT3 satellites will be built on satellite buses supplied by Terran Orbital and assembled at Terran Orbital’s SmallSat Processing and Delivery Center in Colorado. In total, Lockheed Martin is currently contracted to build 124 space vehicles for the SDA.

“Lockheed Martin’s ongoing investments and evolving practices demonstrate our commitment to supporting the SDA’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture,” said Joe Rickers, Vice President of Transport, Tracking and Warning at Lockheed Martin. “These innovative approaches position Lockheed Martin to meet the warfighter’s urgent need for a proliferated missile defense constellation.”

### Integrated, Resilient Constellation

All satellites in the Tracking Layer will be designed to operate seamlessly with other satellites in the PWSA constellation in low Earth orbit, working in concert with a common ground system.

“The Tracking Layer will form a global constellation in LEO of IR missile warning and missile tracking satellites that integrate with the Transport Layer’s low-latency mesh communication network to provide mission data directly over tactical data links and enable advanced missile tracking from proliferated LEO,” the SDA said in a statement. “Resilience is built in through proliferation by fielding refreshed capabilities with targeted technological enhancements approximately every two years with each generation of satellites that launch.”

This innovative approach ensures that the United States maintains a robust, scalable, and advanced missile warning and defense architecture capable of countering evolving global threats.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2025/12/20/space-development-agency-awards-roughly-3-5-billion-to-4-companies-for-72-missile-tracking-and-warning-satellites/

SpaceX Starlink launch breaks record for Florida spaceport

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Nov. 10 (UPI) – The SpaceX launch of 29 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit Monday night from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station set a new annual launch record for Florida’s spaceport.

Monday’s liftoff marked the 94th launch of an orbital-class rocket in the state this year, surpassing the previous record set at the end of last year. As the rocket lifted off at 10:21 p.m. EST, mission control enthusiastically announced, “Engines full power and lift off. Go SpaceX. Go Starlink.”

The commercial launch, which added 29 Starlink Internet satellites to the growing orbital constellation, had been scheduled for earlier in the day. However, the liftoff was delayed until after 10 p.m. due to a shortage of air traffic controllers amid the government shutdown.

Florida’s spaceport — encompassing NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station — has experienced a significant increase in launch activity over the past five years. This uptick is largely driven by the frequency of SpaceX flights.

In addition to SpaceX, other rockets launched from Florida this year include Blue Origin’s New Glenn, a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan rocket, and three ULA Atlas V rockets.

For Monday’s record-breaking mission, SpaceX employed a newer booster. The first-stage booster, designated B1096, was flying for the third time. Earlier this year, it supported launches for Amazon’s Project Kuiper (KF-01) and NASA’s IMAP rideshare mission.

Just over eight minutes after liftoff, the booster successfully executed an autonomous landing on the “Just Read the Instructions” droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean, marking another milestone in reusable rocket technology.
https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2025/11/11/florida-spacex-starlink-launch-record/1881762833095/

Here’s where the James Webb Space Telescope and 4 other legendary spacecraft are in October’s night sky

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Humanity’s understanding of the solar system has evolved dramatically following the advent of spaceflight. Over the past seven decades, thousands of sophisticated spacecraft have been launched on ambitious missions to look down on our planet, explore the wonders of our star’s domain, or venture into the interstellar realm beyond it.

The imagery and scientific data collected by these robotic explorers have inspired generations and forever altered how we view our planet and the universe around us. As a result, spacecraft such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the venerable Voyager 1 probe are now household names. But how many of us actually know where they are as they beam back their precious data? How many of us have peered into the areas of space where they orbit or sail through the cosmos?

Read on to discover the approximate locations of five far-flung spacecraft in the October night sky.

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### If You’re New to Exploring the Stars

Be sure to check out our roundup of the best smartphone astronomy apps. These apps use augmented reality technology to help guide you to the locations of everything from stars and nebulas to galaxies, wandering comets, and spacecraft.

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## Find the Locations of Famous Spacecraft in the October Night Sky

### James Webb Space Telescope
**Distance from Earth:** 907,000 miles (1.46 million km)

The James Webb Space Telescope launched on Christmas Day in 2021 with a mission to unravel the mysteries surrounding the creation and evolution of the cosmos. From its gravitationally stable vantage point at Lagrange Point 2, the JWST peers into deep space to capture ancient light from the early universe and observe the formation of stars, protoplanetary systems, and much more.

To locate JWST in the night sky, first find the red star Aldebaran, visible halfway up the eastern sky above the familiar stars of the constellation Orion around midnight in October. Next, scan the region above until you spot the diffuse, hazy light of the Pleiades star cluster. The Webb telescope will be approximately 5 degrees below the Pleiades—roughly the width of your three middle fingers held at arm’s length.

As October progresses, Webb will travel closer to Aldebaran and the other stars of the Taurus constellation.

**Note:** Although this guide shows you the approximate location of the spacecraft, it is impossible to actually spot JWST with the naked eye or even the most powerful telescopes due to its small size and great distance.

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### Parker Solar Probe
**Distance from Earth:** 91 million miles (147.6 million km)

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe made history on April 28, 2021, by becoming the first spacecraft to “touch” the Sun, passing through its outer atmosphere (the corona) during its eighth of 24 planned close approaches. It has flown seven times closer to the Sun than any previous spacecraft, enduring temperatures nearing 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit (1,300 degrees Celsius) to study the solar wind’s plasma and magnetic field dynamics.

In October, the Parker Solar Probe can be found low in the southwestern sky at sunset. You’ll need a clear horizon view to spot this region before it sets.

Start by locating the bright star Antares in the constellation Scorpius. The Parker Solar Probe lies about 5 degrees to the upper left of Antares. Above it shines the constellation Ophiuchus, while the distinctive “teapot” asterism of Sagittarius is to its left.

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### NASA’s Juno Spacecraft
**Distance from Earth:** 464.8 million miles (748 million km)

Juno entered orbit around Jupiter in 2016 and has spent nearly a decade—and several mission extensions—collecting invaluable data on the gas giant and its diverse moons. Its most recent mission extension expired on the day the current government shutdown began, casting uncertainty on its future operations.

To find Juno’s location, look high overhead in the eastern sky during the predawn hours of October. Locate the bright stars Castor and Pollux in the constellation Gemini. Jupiter will appear as a bright “morning star,” shining steadily to the lower right of Castor and Pollux.

Juno remains somewhere in orbit around Jupiter, which is far too small to be seen from Earth.

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### New Horizons
**Distance from Earth:** 5.88 billion miles (9.46 billion km)

Launched in January 2006, New Horizons became the first human-made object to visit the dwarf planet Pluto in July 2015, after a nine-year journey. The brief flyby transformed our understanding of Pluto, revealing surprising details about its composition, tenuous atmosphere, and its largest moon, Charon.

In 2019, New Horizons flew past the Kuiper Belt object Arrokoth and is now collecting heliophysics data as it travels toward interstellar space, which it is expected to reach in the 2040s.

To locate New Horizons in the night sky, first find the famous “teapot” asterism at the heart of Sagittarius, just above the southern horizon in the hours following sunset in October. From a dark sky, you might see the glowing band of the Milky Way running through the “spout” of the teapot.

Next, look above the trapezium of stars forming the handle of the teapot and locate the star Pi Sagittarii using a smartphone astronomy app. New Horizons is approximately 1 degree to the upper right of this star.

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### Voyager 1
**Distance from Earth:** 15.72 billion miles (25 billion km)

Voyager 1 is the most distant human-made object ever launched. It became the first spacecraft to enter interstellar space in August 2012 after passing beyond the heliosphere—a giant protective bubble created by the solar wind that shields our solar system from cosmic rays.

Voyager 1 carries one of NASA’s famed Golden Records, containing greetings, images, and sounds from Earth as a time capsule and a message of friendly first contact for any future finders.

To locate Voyager 1 in the night sky, find the constellation Ophiuchus close to the western horizon after sunset in October. Identify the brightest point of light in the constellation—the binary star system Rasalhague—and locate its neighbor, Kappa Ophiuchi, to the lower right.

Voyager 1’s approximate position lies halfway along the imaginary line connecting these two stellar giants.

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Exploring the sky and knowing where these incredible spacecraft are can deepen our connection to the vast universe and the remarkable achievements of human ingenuity reaching far beyond Earth. Happy stargazing!
https://www.space.com/stargazing/heres-where-the-james-webb-space-telescope-and-4-other-legendary-spacecraft-are-in-the-night-sky-october-2025