The Sierra Space SDA satellite assembly line at its Victory Works factory in Colorado. Photo: Sierra Space/Michael Ciaglo

Sierra Space reports it has completed satellite structures for the first nine of 18 satellites it is building for the Space Development Agency (SDA), three months ahead of schedule. These satellites will be part of the SDA’s Tranche 2 Tracking Layer. 

This is Sierra Space’s first contract for the SDA and was awarded in January 2024. L3Harris Technologies and Lockheed Martin are the other two vendors on the program. A select number of satellites in the Tranche 2 Tracking Layer will incorporate fire control missile defense infrared sensors for preliminary missile defense mission capabilities. 

The next stage is the assembly, integration, and testing (AI&T) phase, during which components, subsystems, and payloads are expected to be integrated and tested. Sierra Space is also building the remaining nine satellites. 

“We stood up our high-rate manufacturing facility, Victory Works, to meet the demanding requirements of our customer,” commented Erik Daehler, senior vice president of Sierra Space Defense. “To go from a successful critical design review to completing the Plane 1 satellite structures — three months ahead of schedule — is a powerful validation of our investment in scalable infrastructure.”