Military Embedded Systems

Missile tracking payloads for SDA satellites to be provided by General Atomics

News

March 12, 2024

Dan Taylor

Technology Editor

Military Embedded Systems

Missile tracking payloads for SDA satellites to be provided by General Atomics

SAN DIEGO, California. General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) won a contract from Lockheed Martin Space to supply missile tracking and defense payloads for 18 satellites as part of the Space Development Agency's (SDA) Tranche 2 Tracking Layer Program, GA-EMS announced in a statement.

The electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) sensor systems being developed by GA-EMS include 16 Wide-Field-of-View (WFOV) infrared payloads for missile warning and tracking, along with two Fire Control/Missile Defense (FC/MD) infrared payloads, the statement reads.

The EO/IR sensor systems will be integrated into Lockheed Martin satellites, with a scheduled launch in 2027. GA-EMS's contribution aims to enhance military capabilities in detecting and tracking both advanced and conventional missile threats, including hypersonic missile systems, the company says.

These missile warning/tracking and fire control/missile defense payloads, featuring on-orbit mission data processing, are designed to provide real-time missile tracking. Once launched into low Earth orbit (LEO), these satellites will join SDA's Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture LEO constellation to provide persistent, global, real-time missile detection and tracking capabilities, the statement adds.

Featured Companies

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems

3550 General Atomics Court
San Diego, CA 92121-1122

Lockheed Martin

6801 Rockledge Drive
Bethesda, MD 20817
Categories
Comms - Satellites