Breaking Defense

The Space Development Agency’s planned constellations for data relay and missile warning/missile tracking will be operational and providing service to commanders on a region-by-region basis by the end of 2025, according to SDA Director Derek Tournear.

The agency’s current fleet of 28 satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO), called Tranche 0, is designed to demonstrate capabilities and work out the kinks for accomplishing both missions, but the next generation, called Tranche 1, will be capable for “real use,” he told the annual Satellite conference in Washington, D.C. today.

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