US Space Command Taps SpaceX for Missile Warning, Tracking Satellites
The US Space Systems Command has awarded SpaceX contracts to launch new missile warning and tracking satellites into low-Earth orbit.
The launches will support the Space Development Agency (SDA) and the National Reconnaissance Office as they build satellite constellations designed to detect and follow advanced missile threats from space.
Worth $739 million, the orders fall under the Pentagon’s National Security Space Launch program, which uses commercial rockets to reduce costs for missions with flexible requirements.
The Launches
The order includes three sets of missions.
The first, known as SDA-2, covers two launches carrying a total of 18 Tracking Layer satellites built by L3Harris, and a separate launch carrying eight Fire-control On Orbit-support-to-the-war Fighter (F2) Space Vehicles manufactured by Millennium Space Systems.
The F2 spacecraft are part of a demonstration effort aimed at improving US missile defense performance against highly maneuverable targets.
A second package, SDA-3, adds two more launches that will place 18 Tracking Layer satellites made by Lockheed Martin into orbit.
A third mission, referred to as NTO-5, supports a classified National Reconnaissance Office mission, and details on the payload have not been disclosed.
Flights for the SDA-2 missions are scheduled to begin in late 2026, followed by SDA-3 missions in mid-2027.
The NRO launches are planned for early 2027 and mid-2028.
Boosting Space Capabilities
The latest initiative adds to a series of US efforts to strengthen space capabilities and improve how military assets operate and communicate in orbit.
Last month, Texas-based GetChkd secured a $1.9-million contract to enhance Air Force and Space Force satellite communications security using blockchain technology.
The system relies on an audited digital ledger that restricts data access to authorized users and limits information exchange to approved classified and unclassified satellites, sensors, and command systems.
In November 2025, the US Space Force began preparations to field two ground-based systems intended to jam Chinese and Russian reconnaissance satellites, expanding Washington’s capabilities to disrupt adversary surveillance in space.
