Northrop Grumman Corporation was competitively awarded a Tracking Layer of Tranche 3 (TRKT3) contract by the Space Development Agency (SDA) to deliver resilient, integrated missile warning and tracking satellites, a component of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) mission.

Northrop Grumman’s TRKT3 will:

• Accelerate the capability to provide global detection, warning, and tracking of hypersonic weapons and advanced missiles from the earliest stages of launch through interception.
• Provide precision fire-control sensing data with sufficient accuracy for interception.
• Deliver data to decision makers to act quickly against hypersonic threats when integrated with the Transport Layer, PWSA’s mesh satellite communications network.
• Build on Tracking Layer capabilities of Tranche 1 (T1) and Tranche 2 (T2) with targeted technology enhancements, expanded coverage, and increased integration.
• Capitalize on more than 30,000 square feet of allocated PWSA manufacturing space for the production and delivery of 18 satellites equipped with infrared sensors at speed and scale.

Brandon White, vice president and general manager of space-enabled multi-domain operations division at Northrop Grumman: “Northrop Grumman’s contributions to both high and low altitude layers of our nation's missile warning and tracking architecture help protect our nation from a wide range of threats. With our extensive history of fielding operational Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) satellites, we are poised to rapidly deliver the TRKT3 satellites to the SDA.”

The PWSA is SDA’s initiative to create a global mesh-networked missile defense and communications architecture in low-Earth orbit. TRKT3 is the third installment of the tracking layer that responds to the rise of hypersonic missiles, which maneuver in flight and require infrared tracking and low-latency, timely data to counter effectively. The tracking layer works hand-in-hand with the transport layer, which provides the high-speed data that U.S. troops need to combat threats when operating around the globe.

Northrop Grumman is providing both space vehicles and ground systems for the tracking and transport layers of this next-generation constellation. The company is on course to deliver 150 satellites as part of Tranches 1, 2, and 3 that will enhance the capabilities of PWSA. The first plane of Northrop Grumman’s Transport Layer of Tranche 1 satellites is scheduled for launch in early 2026.

Northrop Grumman is a leading global aerospace and defense technology company. Our pioneering solutions equip our customers with the capabilities they need to connect and protect the world, and push the boundaries of human exploration across the universe. Driven by a shared purpose to solve our customers’ toughest problems, our employees define possible every day. 

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