Building upon recent developments in the United States’ missile defense strategy, two Republican senators have introduced legislation to fund President Donald Trump’s proposed “Iron Dome for America.” This initiative aims to establish a next-generation missile defense shield, leveraging space-based technologies to counter evolving threats from adversaries such as China and Russia.
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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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