Date: Feb. 15, 2024 On Wednesday, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and Space Development Agency (SDA) confirmed the successful launch of six satellites to low-Earth orbit at 5:30 p.m. ET from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. The satellites, which include two satellites for MDA’s Hypersonic and Ballistic…

The Space Development Agency (SDA) and Missile Defense Agency (MDA) prepare to launch six satellites to low-Earth orbit on Feb. 14. The satellites will launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space utilizing SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. This includes two satellites for MDA’s Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS) and the final four SDA Tranche 0 (T0) Tracking Layer satellites of its Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA). (Photo Credit: Courtesy of SpaceX)

Tranche 2 Tracking Layer includes new prime vendor to produce missile warning/missile tracking and missile defense satellites Date: Jan. 16, 2024 WASHINGTON, D.C. –The Space Development Agency (SDA) today announced the award of three prototype agreements to build 54 satellites to establish the Tranche 2 (T2) Tracking Layer, which will proliferate missile warning/missile tracking (MW/MT)…

Agency selects new Tranche 2 team member to produce variant of data relay and tactical communication space vehicles Date: Jan. 8, 2024 WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Space Development Agency (SDA) today announced the award of a prototype agreement with a total value of approximately $515 million to build and operate 18 Tranche 2 Transport Layer…

Demonstration included active and passive Link 16 network entry, transmitting messages to and from low Earth orbit to terrestrial radios Date: Nov. 28, 2023 WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Space Development Agency (SDA) today announced it successfully demonstrated the first-ever Link 16 network entry through space to ground connection from low Earth orbit (LEO) to a…

Agency builds Tranche 2 team to produce second of three variants of data relay and tactical communication space vehicles Date: October 30, 2023 WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Space Development Agency (SDA) today announced awards of two Other Transaction Authority (OTA) prototype agreements with a total value of approximately $1.3 billion to build and operate the…

SDA delivers 13 additional satellites on orbit for Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture demonstrations Date: September 2, 2023 WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Space Development Agency (SDA) today announced the second successful launch of space vehicles from the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA). The launch included Transport and Tracking Layer satellites that will demonstrate low-latency tactical data…

Date: August 21, 2023 Agency selects initial Tranche 2 team members to produce first of several variants of data relay and tactical communication space vehicles WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Space Development Agency (SDA) today announced the awards of two prototype agreements with a total value of approximately $1.5 billion to build and operate the Tranche…

Date: June 8, 2023  The Space Development Agency (SDA) confirmed an award under Other Transaction Authorities, with a total potential value of approximately $64 million, to Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) to establish the Battle Management, Control and Communications (BMC3) software development and hosting environment for the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA).  SAIC will be…

Date: January 23, 2023 The Space Development Agency’s resilient layered network of military satellites and supporting elements is now the “Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture” or PWSA. The architecture, formerly known as the “National Defense Space Architecture,” was renamed to more specifically reflect the agency’s mission to deliver needed space-based capabilities to the joint warfighter to support…

All Tranche 1 Hardware and Integration Pieces Now on Contract Date: October 26, 2022 The Space Development Agency (SDA) today announced it has awarded a firm-fixed price Other Transaction prototype agreement, with a total potential value of approximately $200 million, to York Space Systems of Denver, Colorado, for the establishment of the Tranche 1 Demonstration…

Date: October 4, 2022 The Space Development Agency (SDA) today announced it has awarded one firm-fixed price Other Transaction prototype agreement, with a total potential value of approximately $176 million, to Ball Aerospace of Broomfield, Colorado, for the establishment of the National Defense Space Architecture (NDSA) Experimental Testbed (NExT). The prototype agreement includes development, manufacture,…

Date: February 28, 2022 SDA has awarded three protoftype agreements worth approximately $1.8 billion to establish the foundation for Tranche 1 Transport Layer (T1TL), a mesh network of 126 optically-interconnected space vehicles (SV) that will provide a resilient, low-latency, high-volume data transport communication system, and ready for launch by September 2024.  These agreements are awarded…

Date: June 30, 2021 The Space Development Agency today announced the successful launch of its first two satellite missions, Mandrake II and Laser Interconnect Networking Communications System (LINCS) and the Prototype On-orbit Experimental Testbed (POET) payload, on June 30 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla. The launch, supported by SpaceX’s Transporter 2, an all-rideshare…

Date: December 31, 2020 Space Exploration Technologies Inc. (SpaceX), Hawthorne, California, has been awarded a $150,450,000 firm-fixed-price contract for launch services from Vandenberg Air Force Base for the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 0 Transport and Tracking Layer space vehicles. This award was made based on the Tranche 0 Launch request for proposal (HQ085021R0001) released Oct.…

SDA announced October 22 a task order against an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract for integration of the first generation, Tranche 0, of the National Defense Space Architecture. The performer will provide overall technical leadership for integrating space and ground elements for Tranche 0, the Warfighter Immersion Tranche. The performer will also execute on-orbit tests and experiments that culminate in a Capstone event, expected in FY23, which demonstrates potential capabilities to the Warfighter.

Date: October 5, 2020 SDA announced October 5 two contract awards for the first generation of the Tracking Layer. These awards represent the next major and highly visible steps toward developing the National Defense Space Architecture’s inaugural tranche (called Tranche 0). Once fully operational, the SDA Tracking Layer will consist of a proliferated heterogeneous constellation…

Date: August 31, 2020 SDA announced August 31 two contract awards for the first generation of the Transport Layer. These awards represent one of the first major and highly visible steps toward developing the National Defense Space Architecture’s inaugural tranche (called Tranche 0). This set of contract awards will initiate the design, development, and launch…