spacetoday.net: Falcon 9 launches first SDA Transport Layer Tranche 1 satellites

Posted: Sun, Sep 14, 2025, 4:04 AM ET (0804 GMT)
The Space Development Agency launched the first satellites for a communications constellation Thursday. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 10:12 am EDT (1412 GMT), carrying 21 satellites for Tranche 1 of the SDA’s Transport Layer. The launch marks the beginning of the agency’s ambitious effort to field a global network of data transport and sensor satellites known as the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA). The Transport Layer is designed to provide beyond line-of-sight connectivity essential for linking frontline forces globally. The satellites on this launch were built by York Space Systems, with Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman also under contract to build Tranche 1 satellites. The Tranche 1 constellation consists of 126 Transport Layer data relay satellites and 28 missile warning and tracking satellites scheduled to deploy over the coming year.