US to launch space satellites to monitor hypersonic weapons
The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and the Space Development Agency (SDA) will launch six satellites into Earth orbit. They will track hypersonic and ballistic weapons.
The launch was scheduled for February 15 from the Space Launch Complex at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The satellites will be delivered to orbit by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
According to Missile Defense Agency Director Heath Collins, this will be a key moment for the MDA as the United States enters “a new phase of missile warning, tracking and defense.”
The Missile Defense Agency, the Space Development Agency, and the U.S. Space Force are collaborating to develop the Hypersonic and Ballistic Space Tracking Sensor (HBTSS) satellites that will provide the quality fire control data needed to defend against modern threats.
Experts will test the satellites in orbit for two years. Over the coming weeks, engineers will conduct a series of tests and verifications to ensure that the satellites integrate with the missile defense system and other mission components.
What is known about the launch of satellites by the US Space Force
The U.S. Space Force SDA previously deployed 23 Tranche 0 satellites in orbit in 2023, including transportation and tracking satellites, from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
The four Tracking Layer satellites that will be launched from MDA’s HBTSS were delivered by L3Harris Technologies and are the last satellites in the Tranche 0 program, bringing the orbital constellation to 27.
The United States Missile Defense Agency initiated the HBTSS program in 2018. In January 2021, MDA entered into other transaction agreements with L3Harris Technologies Inc. and Northrop Grumman Corporation.
