This morning, the Space Development Agency is launching the first operational satellites in its Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. SpaceX launched the satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California this morning at 7:12 a.m. local time. 

The 21 satellites, built by York Space Systems, will be the first to provide utility for fielded military forces in the form of beyond line-of-sight Link 16 communications from space. SDA officials told reporters yesterday they plan for one launch per month, with Lockheed Martin satellites launching next month. 

In other news, Kepler Communications and General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems recently demonstrated air-to-space optical communications — exchanging data between a moving aircraft and a satellite in orbit. The demo was a milestone for optical communications and for the SDA’s optical standard. 

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