Lockheed Martin contracts Terran Orbital to supply satellite buses for SDA Tranche 3 Tracking Layer

Lockheed Martin has contracted Terran Orbital to supply satellite buses for the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 3 Tracking Layer under SDA’s PWSA. The deal makes Terran Orbital a core spacecraft-platform supplier supporting Lockheed’s role in the Tranche 3 LEO tracking build-out.

Discovered 2026-01-02T02:45:43.422368-08:00 | 2026-01-02T02:45:43.422368-08:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

  • Lockheed’s award of satellite-bus work to Terran Orbital formalizes a key subcontract within the SDA Tranche 3 Tracking Layer program and clarifies supplier roles for that segment of the build.
  • The contract fits into SDA’s broader Tranche 3 program — a roughly $3.5 billion effort to field 72 LEO tracking satellites to expand the agency’s tracking/missile-warning architecture (award details and program scale).
  • SDA has already begun booking Falcon 9 missions to support rapid fielding of its LEO constellation, underscoring near-term launch and integration demands for Tranche 3.

SDA awards $3.5B to four firms for 72 Tranche 3 missile-tracking LEO satellites

SpaceX Falcon 9 to launch 21 more satellites for Space Development Agency’s LEO defense constellation

Reported By

spaceconomy360.it SpaceNews.com SpaceWatch Global
Sources Tracked
3
First Seen
2026-01-02T02:45:43.422368-08:00
Latest Update
2026-01-08T02:28:35.845232-08:00
Coverage
Defense

Sources

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