SpaceX will launch the Space Development Agency’s satellites from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The agency estimates they will be ready for launch by the end of 2022.
WASHINGTON – SpaceX has been awarded a $ 150.4 million contract to launch as many as 28 satellites for the Pentagon’s space agency, the Department of Defense announced Dec. 31.
The contract is to launch a mix of small and medium spacecraft of various sizes that the Space Development Agency will purchase from multiple suppliers. That includes 20 data relay satellites known as the Transport Layer, and the other eight are missile warning satellites known as the Tracking Layer.
SpaceX will launch these satellites from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
The Space Development Agency called for bids on Oct. 6, and responses were on Nov. 9. The agency estimates the satellites will be ready for launch by the end of 2022.
The manifesto will be divided into two planes of 14 spacecraft, each in two circular near-polar orbits at an altitude of 950 kilometers, according to the request for proposals.
The agency said it would select a provider that offered the “best value” based on a variety of criteria, such as price, schedule, and past performance.
Separately, SpaceX won a contract from the Space Development Agency in October to produce four Tracking Layer satellites, but work has been suspended due to a protest from competing bidders that has not yet been resolved.