Xin Lang Cai Jing·2025-12-20 17:01Group 1 - The U.S. Space Development Agency announced a $3.5 billion contract to procure a total of 72 missile warning and tracking satellites, marking the largest deal for the U.S. military's low Earth orbit constellation to date [1] - Four companies were awarded contracts: Lockheed Martin ($1.1 billion), Rocket Lab ($805 million), Northrop Grumman ($764 million), and L3 Harris ($843 million), each tasked with producing 18 satellites over the next three years [1] - The contracts involve different payloads, with Lockheed Martin focusing on missile warning, tracking, and defense satellites, while others have more specific roles [1] Group 2 - The Space Development Agency is building a "Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture" (PWSA), which includes near-Earth orbit data relay satellites and missile warning and defense satellites [2] - Currently, the agency has deployed 8 missile warning and tracking satellites and 19 data relay satellites as part of its "Phase 0" experimental constellation [2] - The agency plans to launch an additional 28 missile warning and tracking satellites and 126 communication satellites in a 10-month operation, forming the "Phase 1" constellation [2]