L3Harris expands its satellite integration and test facility in Palm Bay, Florida. Photo: L3Harris

L3Harris Technologies is opening a $100 million expansion of its satellite plant in Palm Bay, Florida — 94,000 square feet of space to focus on the future Golden Dome missile defense system.

“L3Harris’ investments translate to more than 900,000 square feet of new and renovated advanced manufacturing space nationwide to support the production of space-based missile warning and defense technologies, precision fire-control sensing, targets, and propulsion and control systems for interceptors,” the company said on Thursday after a ribbon-cutting at the plant.

In February last year U.S. Space Force launched five missile tracking prototype satellites by L3Harris – four wide-field-of-view Tranche 0 Tracking Layer birds for the Space Development Agency (SDA) and one Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS) satellite for the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) — as well as one HBTSS prototype bird by Northrop Grumman.

L3Harris is also under SDA contract for 16 Tranche 1, Tracking Layer satellites and 18 in the Tranche 2, Tracking Layer.

“Accelerating the production of proven hardware for national missile warning and defense remains a priority as we align resources across the enterprise to support the president’s vision for America’s Golden Dome,” L3Harris Chairman and CEO Christopher Kubasik said on Thursday.

MDA has been tight lipped about Golden Dome. U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Heath Collins, the agency’s director, did not even reference the program by name at this year’s annual Space and Missile Defense Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama. In addition, a government official or officials barred reporters from attending the unclassified Golden Dome industry summit which immediately followed the symposium.

At the latter, Collins said that industry should “get ready to go fast and think big” and that “we need to make a monster change now.” He likened financial ebbs and flows for U.S. national missile defense to a cycle, which is in its third flow stage — the first being the Strategic Defense Initiative 42 years ago, the second in the early 2000s for what became the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system, and the current Golden Dome stage.

Earlier this year, L3Harris expanded a payload manufacturing facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana, also geared toward supporting the Golden Dome. The Fort Wayne facility focuses on infrared sensor payloads that serve both national defense and civil weather.

This story was first published by Defense Daily