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U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA)

US
gov defenseFounded 2019
United States
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Verified facts grounded in source documentation.

The first launch of the Space Development Agency’s constellation planned for mid-December will slip to March 2023 due to an anomaly in York Space Systems’ satellites that was identified during tests.

NARRATIVE GENERAL12/9/2022Space Development Agency’s first launch slips to March due to satellite glitch

The Space Development Agency plans to launch 10 satellites in March and the remaining 18 satellites in June.

NARRATIVE GROWTH12/9/2022Space Development Agency’s first launch slips to March due to satellite glitch

The Space Development Agency plans to launch the T1DES space vehicles with the Tranche 1 Tracking space vehicles on four launches procured through the U.S. Space Force’s National Security Space Launch Phase 2 contract.

NARRATIVE GROWTH10/7/2022SDA awards York Space Systems million$$$ for Tranche 1 demo + experimentation system

Terran Orbital's near-term focus is to complete 10 satellite buses for Lockheed Martin for the Space Development Agency's Transport Layer Tranche 0.

NARRATIVE GENERAL8/9/2022Terran Orbital prioritizes work on SDA smallsats over PredaSAR

The U.S. Space Development Agency plans to launch Tranche 1 satellites in late 2024.

NARRATIVE GROWTH7/5/2022Northrop Grumman selects Airbus to supply satellite buses for U.S. military constellation

The Space Development Agency plans to increase the total number of projected launches in the coming years as it deploys a large constellation in low Earth orbit, making launch cost an issue for the agency.

NARRATIVE GROWTH6/8/2022House armed services panel calls on DoD to buy commercial space technology and data

York Space Systems, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman won contracts in February from the Space Development Agency to each produce 42 satellites for the Transport Layer Tranche 1.

ORG RELATIONSHIP6/7/2022Redwire, MDA, to produce tactical communications antennas for military satellites

The Space Development Agency plans to launch its first 14 satellites in September 2022.

NARRATIVE GROWTH5/17/2022Space Development Agency’s satellite contractors team up to deal with supply shortages

The Space Development Agency plans to launch 20 satellites for the Transport Layer Tranche 0 in fall 2024.

NARRATIVE GROWTH5/17/2022Military experiment demonstrates intersatellite laser communications in low Earth orbit

The Space Development Agency plans to launch its Transport Layer in batches of 21 satellites.

NARRATIVE GROWTH3/28/2022Biden’s 2023 defense budget adds billions for U.S. Space Force

The Space Development Agency plans to launch its Tracking Layer in batches of 14 satellites.

NARRATIVE GROWTH3/28/2022Biden’s 2023 defense budget adds billions for U.S. Space Force

SDA plans to launch Tranche 1 starting in September 2024.

NARRATIVE GROWTH2/28/2022Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, York Space selected to build DoD’s internet-in-space constellation

The Space Development Agency plans to launch its first batch of low Earth orbit satellites in 2022.

NARRATIVE GROWTH1/19/2022Space and national security: What to expect in 2022

The Space Development Agency plans to launch its first batch of Transport Layer satellites this fall and to procure additional satellites.

NARRATIVE GROWTH1/12/2022Space Force on track to absorb Space Development Agency this fall

The Senate Appropriations Committee criticized MDA’s plan to launch HBTSS payloads on separate satellites instead of hosting them aboard SDA’s Tracking Layer Tranche 0 satellites.

NARRATIVE GROWTH12/8/2021Space Development Agency to acquire 28 missile-tracking satellites to launch in late 2024

The Space Development Agency plans to launch 20 satellites and procure an additional 126 over the coming year.

NARRATIVE GROWTH12/6/2021DoD space agency making contingency plans in case Congress doesn’t pass a budget

The Space Development Agency plans to launch the first batch of missile-tracking satellites in 2023.

NARRATIVE GROWTH9/20/2021L3Harris’ missile-tracking satellites pass early design review

The Space Development Agency plans to launch its first constellation of 28 communications and missile-detection satellites in low Earth orbit next year.

NARRATIVE GROWTH9/7/2021DoD a challenging customer for fast-moving satellite broadband industry

The Space Development Agency is about to issue a solicitation for 144 smallsats that it aims to launch in 2024.

NARRATIVE GROWTH8/26/2021Global microelectronic shortages trickle down to military satellite programs

SDA plans to launch the eight sensor satellites built by L3Harris and SpaceX in 2023 for a demonstration of its tracking layer.

NARRATIVE GROWTH8/25/2021The Pentagon’s hyperfocus on hypersonic missile threat
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