The Defense Department late Wednesday said that six demonstration satellites launched earlier that evening for the Missile Defense (MDA) and Space Development (SDA) Agencies successfully reached orbit and have begun initial testing and checkout.
The final four Tranche 0 Tracking Layer and the two Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS) satellites will spend the next two years in a testing program. DoD said that over the next few weeks, engineers from both agencies will conduct tests and checkout procedures to ensure the satellites are operating and communicating as expected.
The six satellites launched at 5:30 EST on Feb. 14 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla. The U.S. Space Force-124 mission was managed by Space Systems Command.
The Tranche 0 satellites were built by L3Harris Technologies [LHX], who also supplied one of HBTSS spacecraft. Northrop Grumman [NOC] provided the other HBTSS bird.
SDA oversees the Tranche Tracking and Transport Layer satellite and related ground station programs as part of its Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. There are 27 Tranche 0 satellites on orbit, 19 Transport and eight Tracking Layer birds that will be used in demonstrations and exercises to help warfighters prepare to operate with capabilities that will reside in subsequent tranches.
The Transport Layer satellites enable global multi-band communications and sensor-to-shooter connectivity while the Tracking Layer spacecraft provide worldwide persistent indications, detection, warning, tracking, and identification of advanced missile threats, including hypersonic.
The HBTSS satellites will allow tracking of ballistic and hypersonic missile threats from launch through defeat.