Military Embedded Systems

Space-sensor program at Missile Defense Agency taps four firms for prototype development

News

November 01, 2019

Lisa Daigle

Assistant Managing Editor

Military Embedded Systems

Space-sensor program at Missile Defense Agency taps four firms for prototype development

WASHINGTON. The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has chosen four companies to design space sensors that can track hypersonic and ballistic missiles. Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Leidos, and L3Harris each received a $20 million contract to design a prototype sensor payload by the deadline of October 31, 2020.

The contract awards come nearly a year after the U.S. government's Missile Defense Review, which called for deployment of space sensors to monitor, detect, and track advanced, maneuvering hypersonic glide vehicles from anywhere on the globe. According to wording in this review, space sensors “enjoy a measure of flexibility of movement that is unimpeded by the constraints that geographic limitations impose on terrestrial sensors, and can provide ‘birth to death’ tracking that is extremely advantageous.”

Work under the contract will be performed, the MDA announced, in California and Indiana.

 

Featured Companies

Northrop Grumman

2980 Fairview Park Drive
Falls Church, VA 22042

Raytheon Company

870 Winter Street
Waltham, MA 02451

Leidos

11951 Freedom Dr
Reston, VA 20190

L3Harris Technologies

1025 W. NASA Boulevard
Melbourne, FL 32919