missile defense

Lockheed Martin proposes multi-layer space network for missile defense
DoD is spending billions of dollars on missile-warning space sensors located in geostationary and polar orbits, but there are no plans to connect them with new constellations that DoD plans to field in low and medium Earth orbits

War in Ukraine underscores need for missile defense upgrade
The war in Ukraine is demonstrating the rapid pace of change in modern warfare and underscoring the need for the enhanced missile defense capabilities, said Derek Tournear, director of the Pentagon's Space Development Agency.

DoD estimates $2.5 billion price tag for global constellation to track hypersonic missiles
A $550 million congressional add-on in 2022 would only be a down payment to kickstart the deployment of a 28-satellite constellation of infrared space sensors in low Earth orbit

DoD decommissions two missile-tracking satellites after 12 years in orbit
The two Space Tracking and Surveillance System satellites were taken out of service on March 8. They were launched in 2009 on a United Launch Alliance Delta 2 rocket.

Congress gives DoD more money for space, with caveats
Defense appropriators in the 2022 spending bill added nearly $1.3 billion for U.S. Space Force and Space Development Agency programs above what the Biden administration requested.

L3Harris’ missile-tracking satellites pass critical design reviews
Missile-tracking satellites developed by L3Harris for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency and the Space Development Agency passed critical design reviews.

On National Security | Russia showed it can attack. Is U.S. Space Force ready to defend?
Russia’s anti-satellite missile test has raised calls for the United States and its allies to push for international norms to ban such tests. But reaching an agreement on space arms control could take years or even decades.

Space Development Agency to acquire 28 missile-tracking satellites to launch in late 2024
The Pentagon’s Space Development Agency is planning a new procurement of satellites that will be part of a global constellation of missile-tracking space sensors.

Valley Tech Systems wins $94 million missile defense contract
Valley Tech Systems, a firm recently acquired by Voyager Space, won a $94 million contract from Lockheed Martin to provide a solid propulsion subsystem for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency’s Next Generation Interceptor.

Space Force general: U.S. has a lot of catching up to do on hypersonic missile technology
“We're not as advanced as the Chinese or the Russians in terms of hypersonic programs,” Gen. David Thompson said Nov. 20. at the Halifax International Security Forum.

Northrop Grumman’s missile-tracking satellite passes critical design review
A satellite designed by Northrop Grumman to track hypersonic and ballistic missiles has passed a critical design review.

Millennium Space sees opportunities in missile defense satellites
Millennium, a satellite manufacturer owned by the Boeing Co., hopes to parlay the experienced gained from the Wide Field of View project into larger contracts.

L3Harris’ missile-tracking satellites pass early design review
L3Harris announced Sept. 20 that the Space Development Agency has approved the company’s proposed design for a missile tracking satellite.

L3Harris opens manufacturing facility in Indiana for DoD missile-defense satellites
L3Harris Technologies on Sept. 16 opened a classified facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where the company will assemble and test satellites for U.S. missile-defense programs.

Hyten: To counter hypersonic missiles DoD needs ‘overhead sensors that see everything’
Sensors in space that can detect and track hypersonic missiles should be at the top of DoD’s wish list, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. John Hyten said Aug. 11.

U.S. Army space commander concerned about disruptions to satellites
Speaking at the Space and Missile Defense Symposium at the Von Braun Convention Center, Karbler said adversaries are developing electronic and cyber tools to deny the U.S. military access to satellites in orbit.

DoD experiment flying to International Space Station to collect data for missile-tracking sensors
A Northrop Grumman spacecraft scheduled to launch Aug. 10 on a resupply mission to the International Space Station will carry a Space Development Agency experiment.

Missile Defense Agency confirms deployment of cubesats launched by Virgin Orbit
Two Missile Defense Agency cubesats launched June 30 on Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne successfully began communicating with ground stations last week, the agency announced July 12.

Space Force, DoD agencies planning multi-orbit sensor network to track hypersonic missiles
he U.S. Space Force last month selected Millennium Space Systems and Raytheon to design sensors that can track hypersonic missiles from medium Earth orbit.

DoD agencies to invest more than $1 billion in low-Earth orbit space technologies
The Biden administration’s defense budget proposal for fiscal year 2022 seeks more than $1.2 billion for military space systems in low-Earth orbit.