Space Development Agency Awards $1.75 Billion for 36 New Missile-Tracking Satellites

The U.S. Space Force's Space Development Agency has awarded contracts worth about $1.75 billion to L3Harris Technologies and Sierra Space to build 36 next-generation missile warning and missile defense satellites for its proliferated low Earth orbit constellation. The agency announced the awards July 13, covering the Accelerated Missile Defense Tranche 3 program, an expansion of the Tracking Layer of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture.

The awards mark another step in the Pentagon's effort to build a large network of low Earth orbit satellites capable of detecting, tracking and helping defend against ballistic and hypersonic missile threats. The constellation is expected to support the Trump administration's proposed Golden Dome missile defense initiative by providing space-based missile warning and tracking data. The satellites are scheduled to be available for launch by the end of 2028.

L3Harris received a contract worth about $955 million to build 18 missile defense satellites equipped with sensors similar to the Missile Defense Agency's Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor, across two orbital planes. Sierra Space received a contract valued at about $798 million to build 18 missile warning and missile tracking satellites, also across two orbital planes.

The new satellites will be interoperable with Tracking Layer spacecraft already procured under Tranches 1, 2 and 3 and will operate through a common ground system. The Tracking Layer consists of infrared sensor satellites designed to detect missile launches, track missiles through flight and provide targeting data through a low-latency communications network in low Earth orbit.

Both companies are already part of the agency's Tracking Layer supplier base. L3Harris has participated in every generation of the constellation, delivering four Tranche 0 satellites now in orbit and winning contracts for 14 Tranche 1 satellites, 18 Tranche 2 satellites and 18 of the original Tranche 3 spacecraft. Sierra Space joined the program as a prime contractor in Tranche 2 with an award for 18 satellites. The latest agreements bring L3Harris's total across the Tracking Layer to 72 satellites and Sierra Space's to 36.

Gurpartap "GP" Sandhoo, the Space Force's Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Missile Warning and Tracking and director of the Space Development Agency, said the awards accelerate deployment of the Tracking Layer to provide the homeland, deployed forces and allies with global, persistent indications, detection, identification warning, tracking, and defense against advanced and evolving missile threats.

The contracts continue the buildout of a constellation the agency describes as central to space-based missile warning and tracking, and they extend the roles of two suppliers already embedded in the program across multiple tranches.

The satellites are scheduled to be available for launch by the end of 2028, with the new spacecraft set to integrate with existing Tracking Layer satellites through a common ground system.