The United States space industrial base is currently facing significant challenges due to a surge in demand for small satellites, which are crucial for national security space programs. This rising demand is revealing vulnerabilities in the supply chain as the military seeks rapid deployment of satellite constellations.
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The Federal Trade Commission has granted approval for L3Harris Technologies to complete its acquisition of Aerojet Rocketdyne.
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SpaceX and Florida-based L3Harris were awarded Space Development Agency contracts to develop four missile tracking satellites each last October, but protests by competitors Raytheon and Airbus halted those contracts from moving forward in December. This week the SDA reached a conclusion after reevaluating submissions for the contracts.
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The Space Development Agency under the U.S. Department of Defense has awarded SpaceX a $150 million launch contract for two flights from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The first launch under the newly awarded contract is set for September 2022, and the second flight will take place not later than March 2023. Here’s the full announcement from the SDA:
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The Space Development Agency announced in October that SpaceX and L3Harris would each build four missile tracking satellites. These satellites would build out the Tranche 0 part of the tracking layer for the National Defense Space Architecture, but both Raytheon and Airbus have filed several protests that have brought finishing the contracts to a halt.
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