L3Harris Technologies has been awarded a contract worth up to $843 million by the Space Development Agency (SDA) to design and build 18 advanced infrared satellites for its Tranche 3 (T3) Tracking Layer. This award expands the company’s pivotal role in building a new, resilient missile defense architecture in space.
The new satellites are a critical component of the SDA’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA), a layered constellation designed to detect and track advanced global missile threats, including hypersonic missiles, in real time. The Tranche 3 Tracking Layer satellites will feature higher resolution infrared sensing, sophisticated on-orbit data processing, and enhanced detection algorithms, representing a significant leap in capability.
“Defeating the hypersonic missile threat begins in space,” said Christopher Kubasik, Chair and CEO of L3Harris. “Our Tranche 3 satellites will advance our proven, on-orbit tracking and targeting capability needed to protect our homeland.”
This latest contract solidifies L3Harris as a foundational contractor for the SDA’s Tracking Layer across all tranches of the program. The company currently has four missile-tracking satellites already operational in orbit for the initial Tranche 0. An additional 34 satellites are in various stages of development for the Tranche 1 and Tranche 2 layers, demonstrating a consistent production ramp-up.
Upon launch, the Tranche 3 satellites will integrate into the broader PWSA constellation, working in concert with other layers to provide global coverage, enhanced resilience, and direct data connectivity to warfighters on the ground. The contract scope includes not only the 18 space vehicles but also the associated ground support software and sustainment operations.
L3Harris leverages a wide portfolio of defense technologies to support this mission, extending beyond satellites to include secure datalinks, multi-domain intelligence systems, precision fire-control sensors, and propulsion systems for interceptors. The Tranche 3 award underscores the agency’s confidence in L3Harris’s ability to deliver the sophisticated sensing and processing required for the next phase of the Pentagon’s space-based missile warning and tracking network.
