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11h ago

SpaceX Launches 21 Lockheed Satellites for SDA’s Tranche 1 Transport Layer

The mission advances a proliferated LEO network to extend secure Link 16 connectivity for U.S. forces.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 on Oct. 15, 2025, launched 21 satellites for the Space Development Agency's Transport Layer.
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Overview

  • A flight-proven Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg at 7:06 p.m. Eastern and landed its first stage on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You after completing its eighth mission.
  • The payload comprised 21 Lockheed Martin satellites using Terran Orbital buses, marking the second Tranche 1 plane following a Sept. 10 deployment.
  • Tranche 1 is planned as 10 planes totaling 126 Transport Layer relays and 28 Tracking Layer spacecraft to be launched over roughly the next year.
  • The Transport Layer is designed to relay Link 16 and other tactical data via optical inter-satellite links to provide beyond-line-of-sight communications.
  • SDA targets initial operations and validation with U.S. Indo-Pacific Command within four to six months, with ground control at Grand Forks Air Force Base and Redstone Arsenal.