The new satellites will be integrated into SDA's first operationally capable set of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, called "Tranche 1," the SDA spokesperson explained.
Raytheon Intelligence & Space and Boeing's Millennium Space Systems are now on contract to deliver flight-ready prototypes by 2026.
The Sixth Domain is not defined by geography. It’s a new kind of conflict in which autonomy and networked systems allow thousand-dollar consumer electronics to destroy multi-million-dollar conventional weapons systems.
For the newest military arm, this year saw it plant the seeds for important changes in everything from strategy to acquisition.
While the timeframe for certifying SDA's Tracking Layer as part of the nuclear attack sensor network remains unclear, SDA Director Derek Tournear said there is "plenty of time" to get it done.
SDA Director Derek Tournear said his shop will remain its own when it formally joins the Space Force in coming weeks, giving the service another acquisition outlet.
When SDA joins Space Force in a couple weeks, their more agile acquisition cycle could spread to other Space Force offices.
Do more with less: streamline workflows, reduce duplication, invest upfront to save long-term.
If and when the Army's Joint Tactical Ground System is transferred, all mission warning functions will be underneath one Space Force operational command Delta, said Maj. Gen. Doug Schiess, vice commander of Space Operations Command (SpOC).
"So, we have people doing things all the way from orbitology, to design, build, assemble, integrate, test, and then ultimately operate," said Steven Meier, director of the Naval Research Lab's Naval Center for Space Technology.
In the near term, STRATCOM Commander Adm. Charles Richard said that missile warning is his top priority, and expressed concern over China's FOBS test.
Assuming the Thursday launch goes as planned, the last of the satellites, SBIRS GEO-6, is expected to be up and running by "late spring, early summer" next year, according to Maj. Matt Blystone.
Breaking Defense Europe will launch May 4 with Tim Martin and Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo as co-editors.
"What we're trying to do is just like you do with your financial portfolios, where you diversify your financial portfolio, so you don't go broke if one stock takes a tumble. We want to do the same thing with our satellite architecture," said CSO Gen. Jay Raymond.
A study by the Space Warfighting Analysis Center that determined a multi-layered network of satellites in Geosynchronous Orbit (GEO), highly-elliptical polar orbit, Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) is necessary to provide comprehensive ballistic and hypersonic missile warning and tracking.
Brig. Gen. Jason Cothern, Space Systems Command (SSC) deputy, told Breaking Defense that about $400 million of the new funds, if appropriated, would go procurement of a new MEO constellation as one part of multi-layered hypersonic missile tracking.
Kendall's remarks, which came as a surprise to many, including several Space Force officers at the Space Symposium, serves as a direction for where the service should prioritize.