The Knowledge Base: My 2025 Industry Wish List
Global Sourcing Spotlight: The Surprising World of Offshore B2B Industrial Values
Nolan’s Notes: Emerging Trends in 2025
Lockheed Martin Awarded Contract For 18 Space Development Agency Tranche 2 Satellites
January 18, 2024 | Lockheed MartinEstimated reading time: 1 minute
The Space Development Agency (SDA) has awarded Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) a contract to build 18 space vehicles as part of its Tranche 2 Tracking Layer constellation.
Lockheed Martin will provide 16 wide field of view missile warning/missile tracking space vehicles with infrared sensors and two space vehicles with missile defense infrared sensors that can generate fire control-quality tracks to provide preliminary missile defense mission capabilities. This firm-fixed price, other transaction agreement has a total potential value of $890 million.
The T2 Tracking Layer will accelerate the capability to provide global, persistent indications, detection, warning, tracking, and identification of conventional and advanced missile threats, including hypersonic missile systems. It will also deliver preliminary missile defense capability by incorporating fire control quality sensors in the constellation.
“As missile threats increase from around the world, we fully support the proliferated space architecture the SDA is building to protect for our nation and allies,” said Michael Corriea, vice president of Warning Programs at Lockheed Martin Space. “We’ve made a significant investment in digital and production technologies, and with our experience supporting SDA spacecraft, we’re looking forward to delivering the next level of capability.”
Each Lockheed Martin-built T2 Tracking Layer satellite will incorporate a Terran Orbital bus and an infrared missile tracking payload provided by General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems - Optical Sensor Systems. The satellites also will be equipped with SmartSat™, Lockheed Martin's software platform that makes it easier to dynamically add and quickly change missions in orbit through simple application uploads.
The 18 T2 spacecraft will be assembled, integrated, and tested in Lockheed Martin's new small satellite Colorado-based processing facility, designed for the high-volume delivery of complete satellites.
Lockheed Martin also is leveraging its proven Horizon™ Command & Control and Compass™ Mission Planning software on both of the SDA’s missions, enabling mission critical capabilities – including orbit management, autonomous operations and formation flying – for small, medium or large constellations.
Share on:
Suggested Items
RTX's Raytheon Awarded $333M Contract for SM-6 Block IA Production
01/15/2025 | RTXRaytheon, an business, was awarded a $333 million contract from the U.S. Navy to produce Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) Block IA missiles.
RTX's Raytheon Awarded $946M Contract to Provide Additional Patriot Air Defense Systems to Romania
01/06/2025 | RTXRaytheon, an RTX business, was awarded a $946 million contract to supply Romania with additional Patriot air and missile defense systems.
Northrop Grumman Launches Black Dagger Target to Test New Patriot Missile System Sensor
12/20/2024 | Northrop GrummanNorthrop Grumman Corporation launched a Zombie target vehicle variation, known as “Black Dagger,” from Fort Wingate to White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, for the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command’s (USASMDC) LTZ-3 test mission. Zombie targets get their name because they bring “new life” to demilitarized solid rocket motors by repurposing them to create threat-representative tactical ballistic missiles.
L3Harris Plays Key Role in Successful Missile Defense Test
12/16/2024 | L3Harris TechnologiesL3Harris Technologies provided the Medium Range Ballistic Missile (MRBM) target and propulsion for the Standard Missile-3 Block IIA (SM-3 Blk IIA) used in the Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA) latest successful test aimed at strengthening U.S. missile defense.
Army Conducts First Soldier-Led Limited User Test of Lockheed Martin’s Precision Strike Missile
12/16/2024 | Lockheed MartinThe U.S. Army successfully completed its first Soldier-led Limited User Test (LUT) of Lockheed Martin’s Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) in a milestone flight test at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.