After multiple delays, the Space Development Agency (SDA) is now on course to launch the first tranche of its proliferated warfighter space architecture (PWSA) – a large-scale constellation of operational satellites – by the end of this summer, a senior defense official told lawmakers.
“They should start their launches this summer, or toward the tail end of this summer,” said Major Gen. Stephen Purdy, acting assistant secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration, during a House Armed Services subcommittee hearing on May 14.
The PWSA is envisioned as a vast network of satellites in low-Earth orbit (LEO), divided into two key mission areas: a transport layer for data relay and communications; and a tracking layer focused on missile warning and tracking.
Initially SDA aimed to refresh the satellite constellation every two years. But launch plans for Tranche 1 – the first operational batch of PWSA satellites providing regional Earth coverage – have seen multiple delays.
Initially targeted for September 2024, the launch was pushed to spring 2025 due to persistent supply chain bottlenecks. A further delay was announced earlier this year, moving the expected launch date to late summer 2025, due once again to supply chain issues.
Despite these challenges, Purdy stated the agency is making strong progress toward its Tranche 1 goals.
“They continue to finalize testing on their tranche zero, which was a test activity. So that’s continued to work through their testing of the [communications] and missile warning test on the tranche 1 [for this summer],” Purdy said.
SDA now plans to conduct approximately one launch mission per month until all 154 Tranche 1 satellites are deployed – this includes 126 satellites in the transport layer, 28 in the tracking layer, and four dedicated to missile defense demonstration. Key industry players supporting the program include Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, York Space Systems, and L3Harris.
Transport layer satellites are expected to launch first, with missile warning satellites to follow in the fall.
“They’ll finish that out through the beginning of next year,” Purdy said.