US Space Development Agency launches 13 satellites with SpaceX Falcon9 rocket

News, US September 4, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

The U.S. Space Development Agency launched the second batch of 13 Transport and Tracking satellites using SapceX’s Falcon9 rocket. The mission lifted off on September 2, 2023, from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, U.S.

Space Development Agency (SDA) announced the successful launch of its 13 satellites in a statement saying that it would provide support to the ongoing Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) project. The satellites would be deployed in the lower earth orbit, about 12,000 kilometers above the planet’s surface.

Apart from the 13 satellites, the mission was carrying 10 transport spacecraft vehicles built by the U.S. defense giant, Lockheed Martin, and one from York Space Systems. The mission was also carrying two tracking satellites from SpaceX.

Falcon 9 launches @SemperCitiusSDA’s second Tranche 0 mission and the first stage returns to Earth, completing SpaceX’s 61st mission of 2023 and matching our total number of launches last year pic.twitter.com/VHFamcuIpH
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 2, 2023

SDA’s 13 satellites are the second batch of Tranche 0 of the PWSA, which would be made up of 28 satellites. The first batch of 10 satellites was launched in April 2023. A third and final group of Tranche 0 Transport and Tracking satellites is scheduled to launch aboard a planned Missile Defense Agency mission later this year.

“I’m very pleased with the initial operation of the first group of satellites we launched in April,” SDA Director Derek Tournear said adding that “Through these first two T0 launches, we have demonstrated that SDA can keep a schedule to deliver enhanced capabilities every two years. While the launch is very exciting news, it is what we will demonstrate on-orbit that really matters— the ability to provide the warfighter with tactical data links, beyond the line of sight targeting, and the missile warning/missile tracking of advanced missiles.”

Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA)

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) involves seven layers of hundreds of satellites, which include a mesh network of optically interconnected satellites in orbit that make up its “transport” layer.

*^{Raytheon Hypersonic weapons graphic. (Image Credit: Raytheon)}*

These layers will be deployed in the form of five tranches starting from 0 to 4. The deployment of Tranche 4 is expected to be completed in 2030. Each Tranche of satellites would add to the Transport Layer of the constellation, which would provide Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) functions and significantly improve the battle management capabilities.

According to SDA, each tranche of satellites has been given a particular function, enlisted as below:

Tranche 0 – Warfighter immersion
Tranche 1 – Initial warfighting capability
Tranche 2 – Global persistence for all in Tranche 1
Tranche 3 – Advanced improvements over Tranche 2
Tranche 4 – Continual advances to the layers, including additional capabilities identified as current or future threats to the warfighter.

After the completion and launch of Tranche 0, SDA has begun building the first batch of the Tranche 1 satellites and plans to field the first operational generation of the PWSA beginning in late 2024. Tranche 1 will include approximately 150 Transport and Tracking satellites.