WASHINGTON — The House Growth Company awarded Raytheon Applied sciences a $250 million contract to construct seven missile-tracking satellites for the company’s low Earth orbit constellation, the corporate introduced March 2.
The seven satellites can be a part of SDA’s Monitoring Layer Tranche 1, a U.S. Protection Division constellation of infrared-sensing satellites supposed to detect and observe ballistic and hypersonic missiles launched by overseas adversaries.
Along with Raytheon’s seven satellites, the Monitoring Layer Tranche 1 may have 14 made by Northrop Grumman and 14 made by L3Harris. Raytheon’s satellites will change into the fifth airplane of the constellation.
SDA initially deliberate to solely have 28 satellites in Tranche 1 however was in a position so as to add seven extra after Congress elevated the company’s 2023 finances by $250 million particularly to pay for missile-tracking satellites.
Satellites requested by U.S. Indo-Pacific Command
Protection appropriators stated they added funds in response to an pressing request from U.S. Indo-Pacific Command to speed up the deployment of missile-tracking sensors over the area. Congress final 12 months added $500 million to SDA’s finances for the Monitoring Layer, and the company moved up the primary launch of Tranche 1 from the unique 2026 goal to 2025.
The award to Raytheon is critical for the corporate that initially bid for a Monitoring Layer contract in 2020 however lost out to other competitors, and later lost a bid protest.
Raytheon stated the seven satellites beneath this new contract can be constructed on Saturn-class microsatellite buses made by its subsidiary Blue Canyon Applied sciences. The sensor is a wide-field-of-view overhead persistent infrared instrument developed by Raytheon, and the electronics payload is from one other Raytheon subsidiary, SEAKR Engineering.
The $250 million contract additionally consists of floor operations and assist providers.
“Growing a resilient and reasonably priced proliferated satellite tv for pc constellation in low Earth orbit will enhance our capability to trace rising threats like hypersonic missiles,” stated Dave Broadbent, president of house & C2 at Raytheon Intelligence & House.