A SpaceX Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, carrying 21 data transport satellites built by York Space Systems.
The spacecraft form part of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) Tranche 1 transport layer, a network designed to provide low-latency communications, advanced missile tracking and beyond line-of-sight tactical data links from low-Earth orbit.
Space Development Agency (SDA) acting director GP Sandhoo said the launch marked a major milestone just over six years since the agency was established, saying, “The start of Tranche 1 delivery is a remarkable accomplishment highlighting the speed at which the agency moves.”
Tranche 1 will eventually comprise 154 operational satellites, 126 in the transport layer and 28 in the tracking layer plus four missile defence demonstration spacecraft. Each satellite will be equipped with optical crosslinks and Ka-band communications terminals to create a resilient mesh network in space.
Sandhoo added, “As the PWSA begins to support military operations, it will enhance our strategic advantage by serving the joint force with operational capabilities once thought impossible from low-Earth orbit. None of this would be possible without our industry partners embracing SDA’s rapid, spiral development model.”
The initial satellites are undergoing testing and checkout before raising their orbits to around 1,000 kilometres. Two new SDA Space Operations Centres, one at Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota and another at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama, will manage the constellation, supported by a global network of ground stations.
Colonel Ryan Hiserote of the US Space Force said the launch demonstrated growing responsiveness in military space operations, saying, “The NSSL team has been preparing for the start of these higher-cadence operations and we are ready for the remainder of SDA’s Tranche 1 launches.”
Tranche 1 launches will continue at a rate of roughly one per month over the next nine months until the full constellation is deployed. From 2027, the network is expected to deliver regional coverage for tactical data links such as Link 16, as well as advanced missile warning, targeting and secure communications for US and allied forces.
Col Hiserote added. “We’re focused on countering pacing threats and cementing launch responsiveness needed for the future, right now.”
The PWSA forms part of a broader US Space Force strategy to build layered, multi-orbit systems to support combatant commanders and strengthen deterrence in space.