In an effort to show off their capacity to track fast-moving missile threats, the Space Development Agency and the Missile Defense Agency launched six satellites on Wednesday.
Four satellites support the Space Development Agency's constellation of tracking spacecraft, and two are part of the Missile Defense Agency's Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor program, or HBTSS. The satellites were carried by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Collaboration between the agencies and the Space Force has resulted in the development of a more resilient satellite network capable of identifying and monitoring both conventional ballistic missiles and maneuvering hypersonic weapons, which have a maximum speed of Mach 5.
The satellites will be positioned 1,200 miles above Earth's surface in low Earth orbit, or LEO.
The satellites are part of a larger Space Force strategy to improve missile tracking and warning capabilities in the face of growing Russian and Chinese threats. These days, the majority of those spacecraft are located 22,000 miles above Earth in geosynchronous orbit, or GEO. Large areas can be observed by satellites in lower orbits, such as low Earth orbit (LEO), without requiring the same degree of sophistication from sensors that are stationed farther away.
The Space Force's FY24 budget request states that the Pentagon anticipates spending close to $16 billion on these initiatives through fiscal 2028.
Although the SDA and MDA sensors were developed under different programs, the medium-field-of-view sensor found on HBTSS satellites will be incorporated into future SDA spacecraft tranches, combining the capabilities. The purpose of the HBTSS sensors is to monitor dimmer targets and transmit information to interceptors.
All four SDA satellites, which are components of the agency's Tranche 0 tracking layer, were constructed by L3Harris. Additionally, the corporation has a contract to construct missile tracking satellites with enhanced sensor technology for the following two capability tranches.
