Lockheed Martin, Rocket Lab USA, Northrop Grumman, and L3Harris Technologies each won awards to "deliver and operate 18 space vehicles" for the Space Development Agency's Tranche 3 Tracking Layer.
"When the funding will be authorized, given the shutdown and all the fun there, is a question mark," one industry source told Breaking Defense.
The GPS network continues to prove its unmatched reliability, and it’s only getting stronger.
The move widens Intuitive Machines' past focus on the Moon to the space market closer to Earth.
The Space Development Agency's planned Navigation Layer, if it proceeds, would provide both the location of GPS jammers and alternate PNT signals.
The 21 satellites lofted today on a SpaceX Falcon 9 were all built by York Space Systems and provide Link 16 and K-band communications.
"I would say that we are at the point now where the technology has matured and it's commoditized, so that radar based AMTI from space is feasible," outgoing SDA Director Derek Tournear told Breaking Defense in an exclusive interview.
Knowing when to build on commercial systems and when to develop something new can be the difference between parity and information dominance.
In an exclusive interview with Breaking Defense, outgoing SDA Director Derek Tournear said the agency's three biggest technological successes have been proving the viability of space-based Link 16; missile tracking from LEO; and low-cost laser links.
While big primes appear to be positioning themselves for leadership roles, Leidos CEO Tom Bell told reporters the company doesn't need to be "Mr. Golden Dome."
The services’ unfunded requests, obtained by Breaking Defense, reflect sharp increases compared to last year.
Executives from both Lockheed and Raytheon indicated interest in building a space-based interceptor, and hinted at their broad approaches to Golden Dome.
Reducing cognitive overload on warfighters while improving “time to trust” for autonomous systems is a matter of design.
Contracts for the next-generation Tranche 3, which will replace the earliest Transport Layer satellites, have been paused until the Space Force study is completed, five sources with knowledge of the program told Breaking Defense.
The MILNET contract with SpaceX is being paid for by the Space Force but managed by the National Reconnaissance Office, sources said.
"Space Systems Command intends to award a second vendor, but the quantity will depend on the selected vendor’s proposal. The timing and scope of that award is subject to the outcomes of the on-going FY26 budget deliberations," Col. Rob Davis, SSC's head of Space Sensing program, told Breaking Defense.
Tournear was placed on administrative leave from his role on Jan. 16.