A stack of SpaceX Starlink satellites deployed in orbit.
SpaceX
SpaceX is now in the business of building satellites that do more work than beam broadband worldwide. Elon Musk’s space company is one of two contracts signed by the Space Development Agency (part of the U.S. Department of Defense) to build four satellites each, which could detect the dangers of low-Earth orbiting missiles.
The SDA announced on Monday that SpaceX would receive more than 14 9149 million for the work, while major defense contract L3 Harris would receive more than 193 193 million.
The satellites will be developed around a wide field of view infrared sensor, which can also track hypersonic missiles. The SpaceX satellite will be based around the search for the Starlink satellite, but the sensors will come from another supplier, Derek Turner, director of the space development agency, told Space News.
L3 Harris will build complete satellites at home, including sensors.
SpaceX has already launched several hundred Starlink satellites If the broadband mega-constellation meets the full ambitions of the company then on the way to produce ten thousand at last.
The eight satellites will be part of the first pay generation of what SDA calls the “tracking layer” and should be designed to interface with the “transport layer” satellites developed by Lockheed Martin and York space systems. Transport-level satellites communicate with tracking-level satellites and route the information they collect where needed on Earth.
The companies will have to deliver the satellites by September 2022, and if all goes well, the U.S. military will want to add 30 more tracking satellites to the system over the next 30 years.
