Tag: Space Development Agency
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SpaceX Wins $739 Million in U.S. Military Launch Contracts for Missile Tracking Missions
SpaceX has secured $739 million in new U.S. military launch contracts to support missile warning and tracking missions, reinforcing the company’s role in America’s national security space architecture. The U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC) said on Friday that the contracts were awarded under National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 Lane 1 task…
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Space Development Agency awards roughly $3.5 billion to 4 companies for 72 missile tracking and warning satellites
An artist’s rendering of Rocket Lab’s Tracking Layer Tranche 3 (TRKT3) program satellites, which are built on its Lightning satellite platform. Image: Rocket Lab The U.S. Space Force’s Space Development Agency (SDA) awarded roughly $3.5 billion to four companies to begin building out the third generation of its low Earth orbit constellation. The SDA issued…
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York Space Systems Files for U.S. IPO as Revenue Rises but Losses Continue
York Space Systems has filed a registration statement for an initial public offering (IPO), moving the 13-year-old satellite manufacturer toward a public listing as demand for national security space systems accelerates. The company did not disclose proposed pricing terms or targeted valuation in the Form S-1 filing submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission…
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IonQ Moves to Acquire Skyloom, Expanding Push Into Space-Based Quantum Networks
IonQ is preparing to acquire Skyloom Global, a specialist in space-based optical communications, in a deal aimed at accelerating the company’s expansion across quantum computing, networking, and sensing technologies. The planned acquisition — revealed by Chairman and CEO Niccolò de Masi during an interview on CNBC — is positioned as a major step toward building…
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SpaceX launches 2nd batch of satellites for Space Development Agency following weather scrub
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base on Oct. 16, 2025. The rocket carried 21 satellites, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, to low Earth orbit on the Tranche 1 Transport Layer C mission for the Space Development Agency. Image: SpaceX Update Oct. 15, 7:38 p.m.…
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New U.S. military satellite constellation takes shape with first launch from Vandenberg SFB
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base on Sept. 10, 2025. It carried 21 satellites for the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 1 Transport Layer, part of the larger Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, a low Earth orbit satellite constellation. Image: SpaceX The Space Development Agency…
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Launch preview: Space Development Agency, SpaceX to launch next-gen national security satellites
21 satellites manufactured by York Space Systems for Space Development Agency’s upcoming Tranche 1 Transport Layer launch. Image: York Space Systems The first in a series of launches supporting a burgeoning satellite constellation for the Space Development Agency (SDA) is set to take flight Wednesday morning from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The SDA…
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U.S. Space Force Awards BAE Systems $1.2 Billion Contract for Missile-Tracking Satellites in Medium Earth Orbit
The U.S. Space Force has awarded BAE Systems a $1.2 billion contract to build 10 missile-tracking satellites for a medium Earth orbit (MEO) constellation aimed at enhancing missile defense capabilities. The contract, awarded on May 29 to BAE Systems Space and Mission Systems through a firm fixed price Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement, marks the…
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Europe Faces Skepticism Over Viability of IRIS² Satellite Constellation Amid Push for Space Autonomy
Despite growing enthusiasm in Europe for achieving autonomy in space infrastructure, significant doubts remain about the feasibility of IRIS², a major government-backed satellite communications constellation project aimed at providing secure connectivity across Europe. The Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite (IRIS²) initiative, backed by a consortium known as SpaceRISE, aims to deploy a…
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ExoTerra Scales Up Propulsion Module Deliveries for SDA’s Satellite Network
Colorado-based ExoTerra Resources has delivered 21 electric propulsion modules to York Space Systems to support the U.S. Space Development Agency’s (SDA) Tranche 1 Transport Layer, the company said, as part of efforts to boost U.S. defense satellite capabilities. The Iris250 propulsion systems are designed for small satellites and support low-latency communications in SDA’s Proliferated Warfighter…