The Space Development Agency (SDA) has awarded Northrop Grumman and York Space Systems contracts to build and operate satellites that will be part of the agency’s second tranche of data transport spacecraft intended to provide warfighters with persistent global communications capabilities.
The contracts announced by SDA on Oct. 30 – which combined are worth approximately $1.3 billion – are part of the development of SDA’s Tranche 2 (T2) transport layer Alpha variants prototype constellation, consisting of 100 satellites.
The T2 transport layer Alpha constellation will provide global communications access and deliver persistent, regional, and encrypted connectivity to support missions like beyond-line-of-sight targeting and missile warning, and missile tracking of advance missile threats as part of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA).
“The T2 [transport layer] Alpha awards demonstrate our forward momentum in the procurement phase for Tranche 2 of the PWSA to support delivery beginning in 2026,” Derek Tournear, director of SDA, in a statement.
The first orbital plane of the T2 transport layer Alpha constellation will be launched no later than September 2026.
According to the SDA, the PWSA Transport Layer will be the space backbone for the Joint All Domain Command and Control infrastructure with low-latency data transport, sensor-to-shooter connectivity, and tactical satellite communication direct to the platform.
Under the contract for York Space Systems, the company will execute a research and development program to deliver and operate 62 T2 transport layer – Alpha space vehicles (SVs) in eight orbital planes, along with the associated ground systems and operations and sustainment capability. The award was fully signed on Oct. 10.
The contract awarded to Northrop Grumman Space Systems directs the company to execute a research and development program to deliver and operate 38 T2 transport layer – Alpha SVs in two orbital planes, along with the associated ground systems and operations and sustainment capability. The award was fully signed on Oct. 26.
“Once completely fielded, Tranche 2 will provide global persistence for all capabilities in Tranche 1 plus a demonstration of advanced tactical data link(s) and future proliferated missions. The T2 constellation will consist of approximately 270 operational Transport and Tracking Layer satellites,” the agency said.
SDA made awards in August 2023 for 72 T2 transport layer Beta variant SVs, which form the foundation of the Tranche 2 data transport mission. SDA is currently in the source selection phase for T2 Tracking Layer. SDA expects to release the T2 transport layer Gama solicitation later this year.
“With the Beta variant and now the Alpha constellation, we’ll have more than 170 T2TL satellites on order. SDA is leading the DoD into launching proliferated constellations into low-Earth orbit to enhance responsiveness, resilience, survivability, and warfighting capability beyond our current space systems architecture,” Tournear said.
