By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept

News Junction

Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
  • Home
  • World News
    World NewsShow More
    White South Africans arrive in US after Trump administration granted them refugee status | World News
    White South Africans arrive in US after Trump administration granted them refugee status | World News
    May 13, 2025
    Trump’s Mideast Wish List: + Trillion in Investments – and Some Diplomacy Too
    Trump’s Mideast Wish List: $1+ Trillion in Investments – and Some Diplomacy Too
    May 13, 2025
    Djokovic-Murray coaching partnership ends before French Open | Tennis News
    Djokovic-Murray coaching partnership ends before French Open | Tennis News
    May 13, 2025
    Brussels seeks to sideline Hungary on Russia sanctions renewal – FT — RT World News
    Brussels seeks to sideline Hungary on Russia sanctions renewal – FT — RT World News
    May 13, 2025
    Investment banks lift China growth outlook after surprise trade deal with U.S.
    Investment banks lift China growth outlook after surprise trade deal with U.S.
    May 13, 2025
  • Business
    BusinessShow More
    Ukraine blows up bridges to consolidate its positions in Russia
    Ukraine blows up bridges to consolidate its positions in Russia
    August 18, 2024
    Commentary: AI phones from Google and Apple will erode trust in everything
    Commentary: AI phones from Google and Apple will erode trust in everything
    August 18, 2024
    The most famous Indian Dishes – Insights Success
    The most famous Indian Dishes – Insights Success
    August 18, 2024
    Life on the road as a female long rides cyclist
    Life on the road as a female long rides cyclist
    August 18, 2024
    UK inflation rises to 2.2%
    UK inflation rises to 2.2%
    August 18, 2024
  • Cryptocurrency
    CryptocurrencyShow More
    How to Use tsUSDe on TON for Passive Dollar Yield in 2025
    How to Use tsUSDe on TON for Passive Dollar Yield in 2025
    May 13, 2025
    South Korea’s Democratic Party sets up ‘Digital Asset Committee’
    South Korea’s Democratic Party sets up ‘Digital Asset Committee’
    May 13, 2025
    Curve DAO (CRV) price drops as Curve Finance battles DNS attack
    Curve DAO (CRV) price drops as Curve Finance battles DNS attack
    May 13, 2025
    Best crypto to buy: XRP, ADA and Bitcoin Pepe
    Best crypto to buy: XRP, ADA and Bitcoin Pepe
    May 13, 2025
    2025 Cloud Mining Gold Rush: 5 Platforms That Pay While You Sleep
    2025 Cloud Mining Gold Rush: 5 Platforms That Pay While You Sleep
    May 13, 2025
  • Technology
    TechnologyShow More
    How to Improve Your Spotify Recommendations
    How to Improve Your Spotify Recommendations
    August 18, 2024
    X says it’s closing operations in Brazil
    X says it’s closing operations in Brazil
    August 18, 2024
    Supermoon set to rise: Top tips for amateur photographers | Science & Tech News
    Supermoon set to rise: Top tips for amateur photographers | Science & Tech News
    August 18, 2024
    Scientists Want to See Videos of Your Cat for a New Study
    Scientists Want to See Videos of Your Cat for a New Study
    August 18, 2024
    OpenAI’s new voice mode let me talk with my phone, not to it
    OpenAI’s new voice mode let me talk with my phone, not to it
    August 18, 2024
  • Entertainment
  • Sports News
  • People
  • Trend
Reading: SpaceX Launched Military Satellites Designed to Track Hypersonic Missiles
Share
Font ResizerAa

News Junction

  • World News
  • Business
  • Technology
  • Cryptocurrency
  • Trend
  • Entertainment
Search
  • Recent Headlines in Entertainment, World News, and Cryptocurrency – NewsJunction
  • World News
  • Business
  • Cryptocurrency
  • Technology
  • Entertainment
  • Sports News
  • People
  • Trend
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
News Junction > Blog > Trend > SpaceX Launched Military Satellites Designed to Track Hypersonic Missiles
SpaceX Launched Military Satellites Designed to Track Hypersonic Missiles
Trend

SpaceX Launched Military Satellites Designed to Track Hypersonic Missiles

Published February 17, 2024
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE

Two prototype satellites for the Missile Defense Agency and four missile-tracking satellites for the US Space Force rode a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket into orbit Wednesday from Florida’s Space Coast.

These satellites are part of a new generation of spacecraft designed to track hypersonic missiles launched by China or Russia and perhaps emerging missile threats from Iran or North Korea, which are developing their own hypersonic weapons.

Hypersonic missiles are smaller and more maneuverable than conventional ballistic missiles, which the US military’s legacy missile defense satellites can detect when they launch. Infrared sensors on the military’s older-generation missile tracking satellites are tuned to pick out bright thermal signatures from missile exhaust.

The New Threat Paradigm

Hypersonic missiles represent a new challenge for the Space Force and the Missile Defense Agency (MDA). For one thing, ballistic missiles follow a predictable parabolic trajectory that takes them into space. Hypersonic missiles are smaller and comparatively dim, and they spend more time flying in Earth’s atmosphere. Their maneuverability makes them difficult to track.

A nearly five-year-old military organization called the Space Development Agency (SDA) has launched 27 prototype satellites over the last year to prove the Pentagon’s concept for a constellation of hundreds of small, relatively low-cost spacecraft in low-Earth orbit. This new fleet of satellites, which the SDA calls the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, will eventually number hundreds of spacecraft to track missiles and relay data about their flight paths down to the ground. The tracking data will provide an early warning to those targeted by hypersonic missiles and help generate a firing solution for interceptors to shoot them down.

The SDA constellation combines conventional tactical radio links, laser inter-satellite communications, and wide-view infrared sensors. The agency, now part of the Space Force, plans to launch successive generations, or tranches, of small satellites, each introducing new technology. The SDA’s approach relies on commercially available spacecraft and sensor technology and will be more resilient to attack from an adversary than the military’s conventional space assets. Those legacy military satellites often cost hundreds of millions or billions of dollars apiece, with architectures that rely on small numbers of large satellites that might appear like a sitting duck to an adversary determined to inflict damage.

Four of the small SDA satellites and two larger spacecraft for the Missile Defense Agency were aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket when it lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 5:30 pm EST (2230 UTC) Wednesday.

The rocket headed northeast from Cape Canaveral to place the six payloads into low-Earth orbit. Officials from the Space Force declared the launch a success later Wednesday evening.

The SDA’s four tracking satellites, built by L3Harris, are the last spacecraft the agency will launch in its prototype constellation, called Tranche 0. Beginning later this year, the SDA plans to kick off a rapid-fire launch campaign with SpaceX and United Launch Alliance to quickly build out its operational Tranche 1 constellation, with launches set to occur at one-month intervals to deploy approximately 150 satellites. Then, there will be a Tranche 2 constellation with more advanced sensor technologies.

The primary payloads aboard Wednesday’s launch were for the Missile Defense Agency. These two Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS) satellites, one supplied by L3Harris and the other by Northrop Grumman, will demonstrate medium field-of-view sensors. Those sensors can’t cover as much territory as the SDA satellites but will provide more sensitive and detailed missile tracking data.

#SpaceX #Launched #Military #Satellites #Designed #Track #Hypersonic #Missiles

TAGGED:ars technicadesignedElon MuskHypersoniclaunchedmilitarymissilesSatellitesSpaceXtrack
Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Whatsapp Whatsapp LinkedIn Email Copy Link Print
Share
What do you think?
Love0
Sad0
Happy0
Sleepy0
Angry0
Dead0
Wink0
Previous Article Alexei Navalny: Mother of Putin critic searching for his body after morgue ‘closed’ | World News Alexei Navalny: Mother of Putin critic searching for his body after morgue ‘closed’ | World News
Next Article FYI, Anthropologie Is Having An Extra 40% Off On Over 3,000 Sale Items FYI, Anthropologie Is Having An Extra 40% Off On Over 3,000 Sale Items
- Advertisement -

Latest Post

How to Use tsUSDe on TON for Passive Dollar Yield in 2025
How to Use tsUSDe on TON for Passive Dollar Yield in 2025
Cryptocurrency
White South Africans arrive in US after Trump administration granted them refugee status | World News
White South Africans arrive in US after Trump administration granted them refugee status | World News
World News
South Korea’s Democratic Party sets up ‘Digital Asset Committee’
South Korea’s Democratic Party sets up ‘Digital Asset Committee’
Cryptocurrency
Trump’s Mideast Wish List: + Trillion in Investments – and Some Diplomacy Too
Trump’s Mideast Wish List: $1+ Trillion in Investments – and Some Diplomacy Too
World News
Curve DAO (CRV) price drops as Curve Finance battles DNS attack
Curve DAO (CRV) price drops as Curve Finance battles DNS attack
Cryptocurrency
Best crypto to buy: XRP, ADA and Bitcoin Pepe
Best crypto to buy: XRP, ADA and Bitcoin Pepe
Cryptocurrency
- Advertisement -

You Might Also Like

Creative’s partnership with solid-state speaker startup xMEMS signals new direction for hi-fi TWS earbuds
Trend

Creative’s partnership with solid-state speaker startup xMEMS signals new direction for hi-fi TWS earbuds

August 19, 2023
Mobile Pro-Grade AI Services : copilot pro
Trend

Mobile Pro-Grade AI Services : copilot pro

January 30, 2024
Bio-Enhanced Skincare Ranges : bio-enhanced skincare
Trend

Bio-Enhanced Skincare Ranges : bio-enhanced skincare

July 26, 2023
Ukraine may have launched a new push, but seeks longer-range weapons | News
World News

Ukraine may have launched a new push, but seeks longer-range weapons | News

July 27, 2023

About Us

NEWS JUNCTION (NewsJunction.xyz) Your trusted destination for global news. Stay informed with our timely and accurate reporting on diverse topics, including politics, technology, science, entertainment, sports, and more. Count on us for unbiased and reliable updates at your fingertips.

Quick Link

  • About
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Contact

Top Categories

  • World News
  • Business
  • Technology
  • Entertainment
  • Cryptocurrency
  • Sports News
  • Trend
  • People

Subscribe

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

    © 2023 News Junction.
    • Blog
    • Advertise
    • Contact
    Welcome Back!

    Sign in to your account

    Username or Email Address
    Password

    Lost your password?