The United States has awarded two agreements worth $1.3 billion for the potential delivery of 28 satellites capable of tracking hypersonic missiles, the US Defense Department said on Monday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th July, 2022) The United States has awarded two agreements worth $1.3 billion for the potential delivery of 28 satellites capable of tracking hypersonic missiles, the US Defense Department said on Monday.
"The Space Development Agency (SDA) today announced the award of two prototype agreements with a total potential value of over $1.3 billion for the establishment of the Tranche 1 (T1) Tracking Layer, providing the initial missile warning/missile tracking warfighting capability of the National Defense Space Architecture (NDSA)," the Defense Department said in a press release. "These satellites will begin to launch in April 2025."
The agreements were awarded to defense contractors L3Harris Technologies and Northrop Grumman. Each company will build 14 satellites, but the L3Harris satellites will cost $50 million apiece ($700 million in total) and the Northrop Grumman satellites will cost $44 million apiece ($617 million in total), the release said.
All of the satellites will be flown at about 1000 kilometers, will serve as polar-orbiting satellites and orbit from north to south, US Space Development Agency Director Derek Tournear said.
The satellites are expected to be able to detect, track hypersonic glide vehicles and calculate an actual targeting that it will send to an interceptor directly in flight, Tournear also said.
The new satellites are an important step in the US launch warning system given that the United States has not flown satellites capable of detecting highly maneuverable hypersonic missiles that are actively developed by Russia and China, Tournear added.
