The Pentagon’s Secret Space Defense: What Is Lockheed Martin Building In Orbit?

In a bid to step up the US defence system, Lockheed Martin is developing an 18 Tranche 2 (T2) Tracking Layer space vehicle in support of the Space Development Agency’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA). This vehicle will be sent to space and capable of detection, warning, tracking, and identifying missiles within the US airspace.

Lockheed Martin To Help Step Up US Defence

In January 2024 Lockheed Martin won a contract to design and develop a T2 Tracking Layer solution. A year after winning this contract, the US-based defence and aerospace contractor has officially completed a Preliminary Design Review for the coming missile tracking system.

Regarding the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) Lockheed is to provide 16 wide fields of view vehicles. These vehicles will provide Missile Warning/Missile Tracking (MW/MT) space vehicles with infrared sensors.

The firm will also provide two space vehicles with Fire Control/Missile Defence (FC/MD) with infrared sensors with the ability to generate fire control-quality tracks. Development and testing of these tracking space vehicles will be in the Lockheed Martin assembly plant.

For the components of these space vehicles, both the MW/MT and FC/MD vehicles will feature a Terran Orbital bus and infrared missile tracking payloads. The supplier of these payloads will be General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems, a San Diego-based energy and defence firm.

Additionally, the company will integrate its SmartSat software platform into the space vehicles to help with controls. With this software on board, changing the space vehicles’ missions in orbit will be easy.

When Will The Tranche 2 (T2) Tracking Layer Space Vehicles Be Available?

As previously stated, there are 18 space vehicles under development by Lockheed Martin. These space vehicles help step up the US defence system from space, hence protecting the region from missile attacks.

Jason Boitnott, program director for Lockheed Martin Space’s Tranche 2 Tracking Layer program, expresses the firm’s optimism for this program. He said, “Lockheed Martin is proud to be part of the realization of the PWSA.”

He adds that the “rapidly evolving threat landscape warrants a rapidly fielded and resilient solution to Missile Warning/Missile Defence needs.” Regarding the revealing of these space vehicles, Boitnott says that Lockheed Martin looks “forward to the Critical Design Review in mid-2025 and the subsequent fielding of this essential capability.”

Over the coming months, we expect to get more details on these space vehicles. More details on its deployment into space will be made available in the future.