Every Cosmic Herald story on Space Development Agency — missions, launches, discoveries, and the business of space, newest first.
SpaceX, Northrop Grumman, and ten other contenders have passed Gate 1 of the Pentagon's space-based interceptor competition, but officials warn the $185 billion Golden Dome missile shield could stall as soon as October without new funding.
Read the story →A July 16 Falcon 9 lofted 21 York-built data-transport satellites for the Space Development Agency, resuming Tranche 1 flights after a roughly nine-month pause — and York confirmed contact with all 21 within hours, pushing the on-orbit count to 63.
SDA launched 21 more York-built data-relay satellites after a nine-month pause to fix on-orbit software and hardware issues, bringing half of its 126-satellite Tranche 1 Transport Layer into orbit even as GAO warns the program may not deliver capability on schedule.
L3Harris and Sierra Space will build 36 new missile-tracking satellites for $1.75 billion, pushing the Space Development Agency's Tranche 3 constellation to 104 spacecraft in support of the Golden Dome missile-defense architecture.
The Space Development Agency awarded L3Harris and Sierra Space a combined $1.75 billion on July 13 to build 36 missile-tracking satellites for Golden Dome's Tranche 3, targeting launch by the end of 2028.
York Space Systems' Dragoon satellite ran five successful two-way UHF tactical-comms demos from low Earth orbit, and coverage indicates the SDA is trimming its satellite buy — reportedly canceling 11 — on the strength of the result.
When a Starlink outage last August left Navy unmanned surface vessels bobbing uselessly off the California coast, it crystallized a strategic anxiety the Pentagon had been managing quietly: the U.S. military is profoundly dependent on a commercial satellite network it does not own or control.
The Space Development Agency is building a mesh network of hundreds of small military satellites in low Earth orbit — a fundamentally different approach to space-based command and control than anything the US has operated before.
GPS III, Next Gen OPIR missile warning satellites, and the Evolved Strategic SATCOM program are replacing Cold War-era systems that have been showing their age. The upgrades are designed to survive a contested space environment that didn't exist when the original satellites were built.
Free daily briefing — missions, discoveries, and what's overhead tonight.
You're in. ✓
Check your inbox to confirm your subscription.No spam. Unsubscribe any time. Read our privacy policy.
