The first of 12 planned prototype tactical communications spacecraft for the Space Development Agency (SDA) was successfully launched and deployed to low Earth orbit (LEO) Monday evening, York Space Systems said.
The demonstration satellite, dubbed Dragoon by York, was launched at 2:25 p.m. PDT from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as part of the Transporter-14 rideshare mission that lifted 70 payloads into LEO.
York delivered the first satellite ahead of schedule to meet an “identified agency need” by shifting a spacecraft from its production line, integrating the payload, and conducting testing and launch preparations to accelerate the mission by several months.
SDA in October 2022 awarded York a potential $200 million contract for the Tranche 1 Demonstration and Experimentation System to deliver 12 satellites to demonstrate tactical satellite communications and Integrated Broadcast Service from LEO. Dragoon will demonstrate secure connectivity to warfighter platforms for targeting, missile warning, and tracking of advanced missile threats.
The Dragoon mission will help SDA reduce risk for future tactical satellite communication payloads, the agency said.
Following the successful Dragoon deployment, York said it is accelerating its launch cadence this year with four more unique missions scheduled.
The satellite is built on York’s LX-CLASS platform.