SpaceX, L3Harris chosen again for huge satellite contract
By
Nick Wakeman
The Space Development Agency paused to rethink its awards to SpaceX and L3Harris Technologies, but has reaffirmed its choice of those companies to build the first set of satellites to track hypersonic weapons.
The Space Development Agency has apparently stuck with its choices of SpaceX and L3Harris Technologies to build the first satellites in what will be a huge constellation to track hypersonic and ballistic missiles.
The companies first won the contracts worth a combined $342 million in 2020 and the awards were quickly protested by Airbus and Raytheon Technologies.
SDA took a corrective action to take a second look at the awards and has decided SpaceX and L3Harris were still their best picks, according to a report by SpaceNews.
The contracts are known as Tranche 0 Tracking Layer. Each company will build four satellites that will track targets. This first group will be a proof of concept. The full rollout of Tranche 0 will be 28 satellites.
Separate contracts went to Lockheed Martin and York Space Systems to build the transport layer satellites that collect the data from the tracking satellites, fuse it and calculate a response.
The program known as the National Defense Space Architecture program will eventual include hundreds of satellites in orbit.
With the new awards to L3Harris and SpaceX, it would not be surprising to see Airbus and Raytheon refile their protests challenging the decision.