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U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA)

US
gov defenseFounded 2019
United States
Admin Edit

All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.

The Space Development Agency is building a mesh network of military satellites in low Earth orbit that includes a Transport Layer of communications satellites and a Tracking Layer of missile-detection satellites.

Mentioned as: Space Development AgencyTechnical ProductMay 2, 2023Satellite manufacturer LeoStella focused on defense market as commercial demand softens

The $250,000,000 Tracking Layer Tranche 1 award to Raytheon materialized because the Space Development Agency received an unplanned funding boost from Congress in the 2023 budget.

Mentioned as: U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA)Org RelationshipApr 27, 2023Raytheon rethinks strategy to compete in military satellite market

Blue Canyon’s X-SAT Saturn bus could be used for Space Development Agency Tracking Layer satellites or for the Transport Layer of communications satellites.

Mentioned as: Space Development AgencyTechnical ProductApr 27, 2023Raytheon rethinks strategy to compete in military satellite market

The seven satellites Raytheon is building will be part of the Space Development Agency’s Tracking Layer, a low Earth orbit network designed to track ballistic and hypersonic missiles.

Mentioned as: Space Development AgencyOrg RelationshipApr 27, 2023Raytheon rethinks strategy to compete in military satellite market

DARPA decided not to place Raytheon’s wide-field-of-view infrared sensor on its Blackjack satellites, and the sensor will be provided to the Space Development Agency as government-furnished equipment.

Mentioned as: Space Development AgencyOrg RelationshipApr 27, 2023Raytheon rethinks strategy to compete in military satellite market

The Space Development Agency was especially interested in a wide-field-of-view infrared sensor that Raytheon developed for DARPA’s Blackjack program under a $37,000,000 contract awarded in 2020.

Mentioned as: U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA)Org RelationshipApr 27, 2023Raytheon rethinks strategy to compete in military satellite market

Raytheon Technologies won a $250,000,000 contract to build seven missile-detection satellites for the U.S. Space Development Agency.

Mentioned as: U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA)Org RelationshipApr 27, 2023Raytheon rethinks strategy to compete in military satellite market

Raytheon competed for SDA Tranche 0 and Tranche 1 contracts in 2020 and 2021 and filed an unsuccessful protest challenging the Tranche 0 decision in 2020.

Mentioned as: sdaOrg RelationshipApr 27, 2023Raytheon rethinks strategy to compete in military satellite market

Raytheon Intelligence & Space is working to deliver the seven SDA satellites by 2025.

Mentioned as: U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA)Org RelationshipApr 27, 2023Raytheon rethinks strategy to compete in military satellite market

Northrop Grumman is under contract with the Space Development Agency to develop and build 14 Tranche 1 Tracking Layer satellites.

Mentioned as: U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA)Org RelationshipApr 19, 2023Northrop Grumman rapidly completes their CDR for the Tranche 1 Transport Layer

Northrop Grumman is under contract with the Space Development Agency to develop and build 42 Tranche 1 Transport Layer satellites.

Mentioned as: U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA)Org RelationshipApr 19, 2023Northrop Grumman rapidly completes their CDR for the Tranche 1 Transport Layer

The Space Development Agency’s LEO network is designed to communicate vital information quickly and securely to support U.S. troops on the ground.

Mentioned as: Space Development AgencyTechnical ProductApr 19, 2023Northrop Grumman rapidly completes their CDR for the Tranche 1 Transport Layer

Northrop Grumman and L3Harris are supplying the Space Development Agency with 14 missile-tracking satellites apiece for Tranche 1.

Mentioned as: Space Development AgencyOrg RelationshipApr 18, 2023Northrop Grumman clears design hurdle for military communications satellite

Northrop Grumman completed a critical design review of a Space Development Agency communications satellite in 13 months.

Mentioned as: U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA)Narrative GeneralApr 18, 2023Northrop Grumman clears design hurdle for military communications satellite

In August, Maxar was selected by L3Harris to build 14 missile-detection satellites based on the Maxar 300 series for the U.S. Space Development Agency.

Mentioned as: space development agencyTechnical ProductApr 18, 2023Maxar secures Dish Network order in its first satellite contract of 2023

Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, and York Space Systems won Space Development Agency contracts in early 2022 to deliver 42 satellites apiece by 2024 for the SDA Transport Layer Tranche 1.

Mentioned as: U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA)Org RelationshipApr 18, 2023Northrop Grumman clears design hurdle for military communications satellite

Northrop Grumman is building 58 satellites for the Space Development Agency within a period of less than three years.

Mentioned as: U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA)Narrative GeneralApr 18, 2023Northrop Grumman clears design hurdle for military communications satellite

L3Harris selected the Maxar 300 series as the bus for the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 1 Tracking constellation.

Mentioned as: U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA)Org RelationshipApr 17, 2023Maxar Rebrands Spacecraft Portfolio, Forming Flexible Family That Fits Any Mission

The Pentagon budgeted $529,000,000 in 2024 to launch five batches of satellites to low Earth orbit for the Space Development Agency, with an additional 11 SDA missions worth $1,400,000,000 planned for 2025 to 2028.

Mentioned as: U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA)Org RelationshipApr 14, 2023The next battle for U.S. military launch contracts is about to begin

The Kepler data relay network will adhere to optical communications standards developed by the Space Development Agency and use SDA-compatible optical user terminals.

Mentioned as: Space Development AgencyTechnical ProductApr 13, 2023Kepler Communications raises $92 million for optical data relay network
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