SpaceX has been selected by the US Space Systems Command to conduct multiple launches of missile warning and tracking satellites as part of efforts to expand America’s low-Earth orbit defense architecture.
The missions will support both the Space Development Agency and the National Reconnaissance Office, which are developing satellite constellations aimed at detecting and tracking advanced missile threats from space.
The $739-million award is part of the Pentagon’s National Security Space Launch program, which relies on commercial launch services to deliver cost-effective access to orbit for missions with flexible timelines and requirements.
The contract encompasses three distinct mission sets.
Under the SDA-2 tranche, SpaceX will conduct two launches carrying 18 Tracking Layer satellites produced by L3Harris, as well as an additional launch deploying eight F2 Fire-control On-Orbit-support-to-the-war Fighter spacecraft built by Millennium Space Systems.
The F2 vehicles are intended to demonstrate improved missile defense capabilities, particularly against agile and evasive threats.
The SDA-3 tranche adds two more launches to orbit 18 Tracking Layer satellites manufactured by Lockheed Martin.
A third mission, designated NTO-5, will support a classified National Reconnaissance Office payload, with no further details released.
SDA-2 launches are scheduled to commence in late 2026, followed by SDA-3 missions in mid-2027, while the NRO launches are planned for early 2027 and mid-2028.
The awards build on a series of recent US initiatives to enhance space resilience and security, including a $1.9-million blockchain-based satellite communications security contract awarded to GetChkd and ongoing efforts by the US Space Force to deploy ground systems capable of disrupting adversary reconnaissance satellites.
