Overview
- Lockheed Martin, Rocket Lab, Northrop Grumman and L3Harris will each build and operate 18 spacecraft, with contract values of $1.1 billion, $805 million, $764 million and $843 million, respectively.
- First launches are targeted for fiscal 2029, with 72 satellites spread across eight orbital planes and equipped with infrared sensors, optical crosslinks, Ka-band communications and an S-band backup TTC system.
- SDA says the mix of missile warning, tracking and defense payloads will deliver near-continuous global coverage and generate fire-control-quality tracks for missile defense.
- The firm fixed price OTA awards continue SDA’s two-year tranche cadence, expanding the plan from 54 satellites and following a short award delay tied to a recent funding lapse.
- Industry plans include Lockheed using Terran Orbital buses at its Colorado smallsat facility, Rocket Lab’s Lightning bus with Phoenix IR and StarLite protection sensors, L3Harris scaling production in Palm Bay, and Northrop leveraging its OPIR heritage.