Spacecraft, Launch Vehicles & Satellites

VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. - On the cusp of a new era in military space operations, Northrop Grumman has delivered 21 satellites to Vandenberg Space Force Base, California for launch, a significant step in advancing the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA). These satellites, part of the Tranche 1 Transport Layer (T1TL), will provide secure and resilient communications for the warfighter and data transport for the PWSA Tracking Layer. Over the next six months, several dozen additional Northrop Grumman-built satellites for the PWSA will be launched into low Earth orbit (LEO), contributing to both the missile defense and data transport missions.

As a trusted innovator who’s delivered technologies that ensure American leadership in space for decades, Northrop Grumman is building on its unmatched experience building highly capable systems like the James Webb Space Telescope and the Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission. The company is applying this multi-orbit, end-to-end system expertise to produce resilient, proliferated architectures and manufacture satellites at speed and scale - an essential shift to meet the demands of modern warfighting.

The PWSA is a classic mission with a modern twist: a constellation of satellites designed to detect and track missiles and pass data around the world with almost no lag time. Northrop Grumman is combining its advanced technology and decades of mission expertise with the best commercially developed solutions to make high-volume manufacturing repeatable, affordable and resilient, and stay ahead of evolving global threats.

Northrop Grumman’s satellite production capabilities support a wide-scale rollout. Multiple PWSA contracts are underway, each delivering incremental improvements in mission capability. Dozens of satellites are fully integrated, with final checkouts in progress. The company’s robust supply chain management and diverse, growing supplier base has strengthened its ability to overcome challenges and efficiently deliver complex space systems.

By collaborating closely with the SDA, industry partners and suppliers, Northrop Grumman is advancing interoperable and modular solutions that meet SDA’s open architecture standards. These standards ensure seamless interoperability across satellites, payloads, and ground systems from multiple providers, enabling continuous, secure data flow across domains.

Source: Northrop Grumman
Associated URL: https://news.northropgrumman.com/satellites/northrop-grumman-advances-operational-capability-for-the-pwsa-with-delivery-of-21-satellites

MELBOURNE, Fla. - L3Harris Technologies has successfully completed the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) for the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) Tracking Layer Tranche 3 (TRKT3) program. The milestone marks an important step toward delivering next-generation, space-based missile defense capabilities for the United States.

The PDR confirms the baseline designs for L3Harris’ TRKT3 mission solution, which provides ground, networking, satellite, communications and infrared payloads. The integrated system will deliver infrared sensing, advanced on-orbit data processing and accurate real-time threat detection algorithms. Once on orbit, the TRKT3 satellites will deliver near-continuous global missile warning and tracking. They will operate as part of the SDA’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, a component of the nation’s layered missile defense strategy.

L3Harris received an SDA contract in December 2025 to design and build 18 space vehicles for the T3 Tracking Layer. L3Harris has more than 70 missile tracking and defense satellites on order in support of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture.

Source: L3Harris
Associated URL: https://www.l3harris.com/newsroom/press-release/2026/09/l3harris-completes-pdr-sda-tranche-3-missile-tracking-satellites

RIYADH - Marking a new milestone as it celebrates its 50th anniversary, ARABSAT has announced the signing of an agreement with China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) to manufacture its new satellite, “ARABSAT-50,” reflecting the transition of five decades of achievement into a new phase of advancing its space capabilities and enhancing the sustainability of its services.

ARABSAT-50 holds special significance in ARABSAT’s journey, with its name coinciding with the organization’s golden jubilee and bringing together a 50-year legacy of Arab space endeavors with an ambition for a more advanced, flexible, and sustainable future.

ARABSAT-50 is a high-power Ku-band satellite designed to provide immediate and effective sustainability to support and ensure the continuity of Direct-to-Home (DTH) television broadcasting services at the 26° East orbital position. This enhances the quality of the distinctive and specialized services provided by ARABSAT to satellite television broadcasting customers and delivers ready-to-use, integrated technical solutions for government and private media channels in the Middle East. ARABSAT-50 is being developed in partnership with CGWIC based on the DFH-3E platform, which has proven its reliability in space, providing an integrated solution that combines high reliability, sustainability, operational efficiency, and economic viability.

ARABSAT-50 also enhances continuity and disaster recovery plans by providing flexible backup solutions to support operations across ARABSAT’s satellite fleet orbital positions, particularly at 26° East, addressing ARABSAT’s future Ku-band requirements. Its design incorporates operational flexibility that enables the redistribution or modification of beam and channel frequencies according to operational requirements, enhancing capacity management efficiency and ensuring service continuity.

ARABSAT-50 represents the beginning of a new chapter in ARABSAT’s journey. After five decades of building a leading presence in the space and satellite broadcasting sector, ARABSAT is moving toward the next 50 years with a vision founded on innovation, sustainability, and the development of a more flexible and efficient space infrastructure.

Source: ARABSAT
Associated URL: https://www.arabsat.com/news/arabsat-unveils-arabsat-50-a-new-satellite-celebrating-50-years-of-leadership/