The satellite is part of the Space Force’s Weather Satellite Follow-on program, or WSF-M. The spacecraft launched more than a year ago and is a first step toward upgrading the service’s military weather constellation, which has been on orbit for 60 years.

Col. Robert Davis, who leads Space Systems Command’s sensing portfolio, said in a statement the satellite’s on-orbit testing went more smoothly than the service expected.

“The operational acceptance of the WSF-M satellite is a pivotal milestone in the Space Force’s focus on transitioning toward a more affordable, scalable and resilient weather satellite constellation,” Davis said.

The Space Force is in the midst of replacing its legacy weather satellite constellation, and WSF-M and its companion program are meant to be a bridge to a future capability. As part of the work, the Space Force is considering a hybrid architecture that would include a mix of smaller, less expensive satellites, commercial systems and government-owned spacecraft.

While the service maps out that approach, its current weather satellite capability – the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, or DMSP – is operating past its service life and is projected to start running out of fuel next year. DMSP sensors can measure things like moisture in the atmosphere, cloud cover and precipitation.

The Pentagon has been trying for more than 20 years to develop a replacement for DMSP. In the ’90s it kicked off the National Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System. The effort was canceled after repeated cost and schedule breaches. Lawmakers canceled a second attempt, the Defense Weather Satellite System, in 2012 due to mismanagement.

The Space Force’s current plan for augmenting those sensors while it crafts a long-term strategy is to split the requirements between two programs – WSF-M and the Electro-Optical Weather System, or EWS.

The WSF-M satellites — originally built by Ball Aerospace, which is now owned by BAE Systems — will be able to detect wind speeds and tropical storm intensity and determine snow and soil depth. The EWS satellites will use electro-optical infrared sensors to provide visual imagery of cloud cover and forecasting data to inform military missions.

The Space Force plans to launch a second WSF-M satellite in 2028. It has already launched an EWS cubesat built by Orion Space Systems and plans to fly two more EWS spacecraft built by General Atomics – one this year and a second in 2027.

The Pentagon is still crafting its architecture recommendations for the project, which will include a mix of advanced sensors and potentially a fleet of in-space interceptors designed to defeat enemy missiles. Officials have said this initial analysis phase involves determining which existing capabilities to scale and what new technologies it will need to develop.

Boeing’s Michelle Parker told Defense News the company’s conversations with the Pentagon about Golden Dome have focused on which production lines the company can ramp up and where it can invest over time to bring new technology to existing systems.

“In addition to the technology aspects of Golden Dome, it’s the ability to get something quickly at scale,” she told Defense News in an interview at Space Symposium in Colorado Springs. “So, what do you have now that can get up there and start to be part of that architecture, and then how do you evolve it?”

Boeing has been evolving its X-37B, an orbital test vehicle, on a regular basis since its first mission in 2010. While not an operational spacecraft, the vehicle is used to fly experiments and test maneuvers and operational concepts in orbit, most of them veiled in secrecy.

The reusable spacecraft returned from its seventh mission in March, where it demonstrated a novel aerobraking maneuver, which allows it to change orbits using minimal fuel. Space Force officials said the learnings from this mission will inform future space operations.

Boeing has built two X-37Bs, to date, and Parker said the company has the capacity to produce more if called upon.

“We would love to do that, and we believe we can,” she said.

Parker declined to discuss specifics about Boeing’s proposal for how existing capabilities might fit into the Golden Dome architecture. It’s possible a platform like the X-37B could be used to support what will likely be a rigorous test program required to validate space-based interceptor technology and the sensor network.

Boeing also has expertise supporting missile warning and defense programs. Its small satellite subsidiary, Millennium Space Systems, is developing satellites for the Space Force’s Resilient Missile Warning and Missile Tracking layer in medium Earth orbit. The company is also providing satellites for the Space Development Agency’s Foo Fighter program.

Millennium is under contract to build eight Foo Fighter satellites — and the associated ground systems — that can detect and track hypersonic missile threats. The spacecraft will carry sensors from L3Harris.

Millennium recently passed a key design review for the program, keeping it on track to deliver the first eight satellites by 2026.

To help meet Foo Fighter production demands, Parker said Boeing is expanding Millennium’s footprint within the larger company’s satellite factory, essentially doubling its capacity. If DOD calls on the firm to produce more of these spacecraft, she said, Boeing is prepared to do that and will look at ways to use more automated manufacturing tools to streamline and make more space where needed.

“We’re trying to take an approach that we’ve got our stable production lines operating. If the demand signal says expand, we can do that within the space we have,” she said.

Late last year, former space acquisition executive Frank Calvelli and Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. Michael Guetlein directed the service’s acquisition offices to scour their programs for opportunities to bring in more commercial capabilities.

One objective of the exercise was to understand where the service was relying too heavily on bespoke, military-tailored systems rather than engaging the private sector to find off-the-shelf options that could meet requirements in full or in part. Another goal was to save money.

Gen. Stephen Purdy, who assumed the acquisition executive role in an acting capacity after Calvelli left, has continued that work. A final report on its findings is expected in the next few months. Purdy has also directed the Space Force’s primary acquisition arm, Space Systems Command, to start conducting market research for some of the more promising opportunities.

The acquisition review predates a White House executive order issued April 9 calling for the Defense Department to reform its acquisition practices to be more commercial-forward. It also precedes a separate order, which President Donald Trump issued Wednesday, calling on all federal agencies to review pending contracts for noncommercial products and seek waivers to justify them.

Speaking with reporters April 9, the day after the first order dropped, Col. Richard Kniseley — who leads the service’s commercial space office — said the Trump administration’s push for a commercial-first mindset in government contracting validates not only the intent of the Space Force’s internal acquisition review, but a broader, multiyear push in that direction.

“Even before President Trump’s executive order came out last night, there’s been a lot of work going on behind the scenes,” Kniseley said.

The service, in large part through Kniseley’s office, has made strides over the last two years to create avenues for more commercial firms to work with the Space Force and establish structures for the service to pull in their capabilities and services. The Commercial Space Office leads a slew of initiatives, including efforts to improve commercial satellite communications procurement, develop a mechanism for the service to contract with private sector companies for increased capacity in times of conflict and integrate commercial tracking and surveillance capabilities.

The Space Force also released its first commercial integration strategy last year and had some success establishing a distinct budget line for commercial procurement.

But to fully implement the spirit of the White House orders, Kniseley said, the service needs more funding for commercial products and services and more personnel to manage its commercial portfolio. It also needs more flexibility and authority from Congress when it comes to budgeting and spending that funding.

“I would say that we need to take a look at or do a full assessment of our full authorities and then as we are working out some of the mission area requirements and the moves and especially dealing with industry, I think that’s probably going to be an ongoing dialogue that we’re going to have to have with Congress,” he said.

Kniseley said he’s had good conversations with congressional staffers, particularly on the House Armed Services Committee, who have been supportive of the service’s efforts.

“They are very forward-leaning with commercial, and they’ve been very receptive to a lot of the things that we have asked them for or at least the dialogue to see where some of our flexibility should be,” he said.

‘Nobody got a pass’

Meanwhile, as the Space Force wades deeper into its acquisition portfolio review, it’s considering what changes it can make to programs today with its existing acquisition authorities.

And according to Lt. Gen. Phillip Garrant, who leads Space Systems Command, everything is on the table.

“Nobody got a pass,” he told reporters April 8 at the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado. “Everybody has to do this excursion of: Could I start over and meet my requirements commercial?”

A prime example is the requirement for a ground-based space observation system, the Deep-Space Advanced Radar Capability, or DARC.

DARC is part of a trilateral defense pact between Australia, the United Kingdom and the U.S., known as AUKUS. Through that agreement, the three nations are collaborating to develop and operate a radar network that provides all-weather, 24/7 coverage of geosynchronous orbit from locations around the globe. The Space Force is leading development, but the agreement will allow the U.K. and Australia to host and operate radars in their countries and conduct joint space domain awareness operations with the U.S.

Northrop Grumman is already on contract to build the first two radars — one in Western Australia and the second in Wales — and a third site is planned for the U.S., likely in Texas.

Col. Bryon McClain, program executive officer for space domain awareness and combat power, said the service is considering a number of changes to the program as part of the required acquisition review — from simply augmenting DARC radars with private sector products to scrapping plans for a third site and looking to commercial companies to fill that gap.

And while a signed agreement with two key allies might have, in the past, made the prospect of changing course daunting, McClain said there are ways to work with Australia and the U.K. to adjust their plans if they find a capability that can meet the need on a faster timeline.

“Where there are military-unique needs in order to enhance the lethality of our force, we have to go after those,” McClain told reporters April 10 at the symposium. “Sometimes, however, bureaucracies like to think, ‘I need something new. I need this thing. I need to paint it Army green’ … and we just kind of get locked into traditional thinking.”

Garrant noted that while program strategies may change because of this review, there won’t be a complete “pendulum swing” toward commercial. But he does think the process is part of a larger culture shift toward designing acquisition plans with an eye toward what capabilities are already available in the private sector.

“It’s a change in our culture, a change in our thinking,” he said. “We’re finally putting our money where our mouth is.”

The release of the Space Warfighting Framework comes as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stresses the need for the U.S. military to adopt a stronger “warfighting mentality” and as the service prepares to argue its case for a larger share of funding in the fiscal 2026 budget cycle.

Space Force officials say that while the document aligns with Pentagon messaging and supports its case for more resources, releasing the framework is part of the natural growth trajectory for the service, which was established five years ago.

Lt. Gen. Shawn Bratton, deputy chief of space operations for strategy, plans, programs and requirements, told reporters Wednesday the service spent its first few years building its organizational structure and has shifted in recent years to ensuring it has the strategy, doctrine and codified processes in place to guide current and future operations.

“This space warfighting document is sort of in the vein of the natural maturing of the Space Force,” Bratton said in a briefing at the Pentagon. “This document is very specific to our core function of space control and how we think about warfighting in space.”

The language the Defense Department uses to describe conflict in space has changed over time. For years, officials would use terms like “congested” and “contested” to discuss growing threats in the domain and “protect and defend” as a vague indicator of how the U.S. would respond to those concerns.

The Space Force’s ability to talk more freely and clearly about its approach to warfighting evolved in the last few years and in recent months, as officials have touted the need for space weapons to keep up with Russia and China. Bratton said the release of the warfighting framework reflects that change.

“I think now we’ve sort of matured and arrived at a place where we’re comfortable saying that, hey, this is a warfighting domain,” he said.

The framework’s primary function is to define key terms and concepts so that its internal stakeholders have a common lexicon and external partners understand how the Space Force thinks about maintaining dominance in the domain.

For example, the document provides a detailed list of defensive and offensive space actions. In the defensive category, it includes things like counter attack, escort, mobility, disaggregation and redundancy — passive and active responses the service can take to protect against or respond to enemy aggression.

Its list of offensive responses includes electromagnetic and cyber attack and strikes targeting space-enabling assets in other domains. That could includes launch vehicles or other ground networks and facilities.

The document notes that coordination across the joint force is crucial, as operators in all domains are increasingly reliant on space capabilities to perform their missions.

“Not only are space operations global, they are also multi-domain,” the document states. “A successful attack against the terrestrial, link or orbital segment can neutralize a space capability; therefore, space domain access, maneuver and utilization require deliberate and synchronized offensive and defensive operations across all segments.”

The framework also defines targets, to include ground networks, communication and data links that help transport information and on-orbit capabilities like satellites. It lays out variables that operators should consider as they plan a response, and it discusses the process for prioritizing and engaging targets.

Bratton noted that the document itself doesn’t represent a change in policy or rules of engagement around how weapons may be employed in space, rather it spells out the existing process as it applies to space.

It’s also intentionally broad and describes capabilities the department may not have now but could have in the future.

“It’s not intended to imply that we have all developed all these capabilities or weapons or any of those things, but it certainly is intended to start that discussion about what we do need to compete and win in space during conflict specifically,” he said.

The report, dated April 11, comes amid continued tension between congressional delegations in Alabama and Colorado — where Space Command is temporarily headquartered — over where the organization should be based long term.

During an April 8 podcast hosted by Auburn University’s McCrary Institute, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Ala., claimed the Trump administration will formally name Redstone as Space Command’s home base later this month.

“I expect sometime during the month of April that Space Command will officially be assigned to build its headquarters in Huntsville,” Rogers said.

Meanwhile, several Colorado lawmakers are pushing for the headquarters to remain at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, penning a letter last week to President Donald Trump arguing that the disruption caused by the relocation could hinder Space Command’s readiness. Colorado representatives Jeff Crank, Lauren Boebert, Gabe Evans and Jeff Hurd signed the letter.

“Moving the command would disrupt these established capabilities and partnerships, further diminishing our preparedness to face evolving threats,” the April 8 letter states.

The inspector general report recounts the years-long decision-making process that U.S. Space Command, the Air Force and prior administrations have taken to determine the best location for the command’s headquarters.

Space Command has been provisionally based in Colorado since its reestablishment in 2019. In 2021, just as Trump was leaving office at the end of his first term, the White House announced Huntsville as its pick for the organization’s headquarters.

The decision sparked pushback from Colorado lawmakers, largely led by former Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., who called the Air Force’s selection process “fundamentally flawed.” Lamborn requested a Government Accountability Office review of the decision and a DOD inspector general investigation. Both inquiries determined that while the basing process lacked transparency and credibility, the Air Force followed the law in choosing Alabama.

Despite the conclusion of the watchdog investigations, the White House announced in July 2023 that it had abandoned the first Trump administration’s decision and that Space Command would remain in Colorado in order to maintain “peak readiness.”

Rogers, who has led the charge in Congress for maintaining the original basing decision, immediately launched his own congressional review and called for the Pentagon’s IG to reexamine the decision-making process.

The resulting report largely rehashes the known differences between how former Space Command and Air Force leaders viewed the risks associated with moving the command — and its workforce — 1,200 miles across the country.

Then-Space Command leader Gen. James Dickinson argued relocating the organization would impair its mission readiness. At the time, the command estimated 88% of its civilian workforce would opt not to transfer to Huntsville. Further, the IG report notes, constructing even temporary operational facilities and critical networks at Redstone Arsenal would take three to four years.

“USSPACECOM leadership anticipated that the loss of civilian personnel might occur much sooner than [the Air Force] predicated and that USSPACECOM would be unable to secure the manpower investments needed to mitigate the impact of that loss on the command’s readiness,” the report states.

Meanwhile, then-Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall — whose position carries the authority to make a formal basing recommendation — supported moving the headquarters largely because of cost considerations. The service estimated the Defense Department would save $426 million by reestablishing the command’s infrastructure in Huntsville.

The report notes that while Kendall supported the Huntsville move and signed off on an environmental review, he never formally announced a final decision. That left an opening for the Biden administration’s reversal or Trump’s earlier announcement, the IG found.

Neither Kendall nor former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin agreed to be interviewed by the inspector general for its report, which meant the office did not glean new insight into Kendall’s decision-making and Austin’s role in the process.

“Although we were not able to conduct all of the reviews we requested, we were able to draw conclusions about [Air Force] and USSPACECOM priorities that led to the announcement of the president’s decision to select Colorado Springs for the permanent location of USSPACECOM HQ,” the report states.

In a statement Monday, Rogers said the report points to “months of cover-ups and unanswered questions” about the cost of maintaining the headquarters in Colorado, calling the decision “dangerous and dishonest.”

“The Inspector General’s report confirms that the Trump Administration was correct in selecting Huntsville, [Alabama], as the site for SPACECOM Headquarters, and reveals an astounding lack of transparency and accountability by the Biden Administration,” Rogers said.

L3Harris, which built the baseline Counter Communications System, or CCS, announced April 8 that the upgraded capability passed a recent verification review, which means it is ready to transition to the Space Force for developmental and operational testing.

The system uses radio signals to jam enemy communications, and the modernized version, dubbed Meadowlands, has an expanded frequency range, which improves its ability to interfere. The system is also lighter weight than its predecessor and has an open architecture that will allow for more regular software updates in the future.

Col. Bryon McClain, program executive officer for space domain awareness, told reporters Thursday that one of Meadowlands’ key aspects is that it incorporates more automation than previous versions. That means fewer operators “sitting by the antenna and turning knobs and pushing buttons,” he said.

“It helps us grow the ability to have remote command and control, which allows us to adjust the footprint of personnel,” McClain said in a briefing at the Space Symposium in Colorado Spring, Colorado. “That gives us a lot of flexibility for the warfighter.”

The Defense Department fielded the first iteration of CCS in 2004 and has since funded multiple upgrades to the system. The Space Force has 11 CCS units in operation today and L3Harris is on contract to convert five of those units to the new configuration — two of which it delivered last week for testing, according to a company spokesperson. McClain noted that the service will eventually upgrade the remaining older-model systems to the Meadowlands variant.

L3Harris also has a production contract to design and deliver more than 20 Meadowlands platforms, including training systems.

Much of the Space Force’s counter-space weapon portfolio is under wraps, but the service has publicly claimed CCS as its first counter-space capability. Since its fielding, the Space Force has publicized the delivery of other satellite jammers, including the Remote Modular Terminal program developed by the Space Rapid Capabilities Office.

The service in recent months has been openly discussing the need to build out its weapons arsenal as China, Russia and other U.S. adversaries field space weapons of their own and conduct aggressive maneuvers, including an incident last year that a Space Force general recently characterized as “satellite dogfighting.”

In an April 8 speech at the symposium, Gen. Stephen Whiting, head of U.S. Space Command, echoed recent comments from Space Force officials calling for more offensive capabilities.

“We need weapons,” Whiting said. “We need them to deter a space conflict and to be successful if we end up in such a fight. Weapons in space used to be inconceivable, but now space-based interceptors are a key component of how we win.”

The first-of-its-kind collaboration between U.S. Space Systems Command, or SSC, and U.K. Space Command will broaden a burgeoning space domain alliance between the two nations by enabling professionals to learn new skills, according to a joint release.

“Our civilian and military Guardians and Airmen deserve our investment in their careers,” said Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, SSC commander. “By offering opportunities to strengthen and grow our workforce through programs such as APEP, we get after exactly that objective. In order to develop a world-class workforce, we must continue to partner to win.”

U.S. Space Systems Command, operating under a $15.6 billion DOD budget, is the field command for the U.S. Space Force. U.K. Space Command performs a similar function for the U.K.’s Ministry of Defence.

The civilian exchange program agreement — using the already established Administrative and Professional Exchange Program as its foundation — falls under the U.S. Defense Personnel Exchange Program, an initiative allowing individuals to “exchange positions with their counterparts in another organization,” even across different countries, to gain a new understanding of the field.

The first U.S. civilian to participate in the program, Tara Browne, Space Systems Command/International Affairs deputy division chief for strategy and plans, arrived in the U.K. earlier this month.

The program was signed into effect on Nov. 18, 2024, by U.S. Deputy Undersecretary of the Air Force for International Affairs Kelli Seybolt, following sign-off by U.K Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton.

“I know first-hand the value of our exchange programs,” said Ma. Gen. Paul Tedman, U.K. Space Command commander. “They allow us to build trust, learn from each other, and enhance cooperation. Our people, on both sides of the Atlantic, remain our greatest asset, and this new civilian exchange program will ensure alignment of U.S. and U.K. space architectural design.”

The partnership between the ally nations has gained steam in the last year, including the 2024 appointment of Air Marshal Paul Godfrey from the U.K.’s Royal Air Force to the U.S. Space Force’s assistant chief of space operations for future concepts and partnerships.

Godfrey previously served as the first commander of the U.K. Space Command.

Tournear, who has been on administrative leave since mid-January, will resume his duties as SDA director April 17, according to an Air Force spokesperson. William Blauser, deputy director of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, had been serving as the agency’s acting director.

The spokesperson did not provide further details on the outcome of the investigation, but said “the matter was addressed through established civilian personnel processes.”

Meanwhile, the Pentagon launched a separate review of SDA’s organizational culture. The Air Force spokesperson told Defense News that review is being finalized, and once complete, Tournear will take the lead on implementing any recommendations.

SDA was created in 2019 as a standalone acquisition organization within the Space Force. The agency’s task has been to quickly field a constellation of hundreds of advanced missile-tracking and data transport satellites in low Earth orbit, about 1,200 miles above the Earth’s surface. Its approach, under Tournear’s leadership, has been to iteratively field capability in batches, also known as tranches, taking available technology and upgrading it every two years or so.

The contracting practices under investigation involved a contract awarded last August to Tyvak, a small satellite provider and Lockheed Martin subsidiary. Tyvak received $254 million and York Space Systems $170 million to each build and operate 10 prototype satellites to demonstrate advanced tactical satellite communications.

The following month, Viasat, one of the losing bidders, filed a protest with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, alleging SDA did not fairly consider its proposal and that other firms were given an unfair advantage in the process.

As part of an internal review, the Air Force determined that an SDA official violated the Procurement Integrity Act in its communication with Tyvak and other contractors, and in February, SDA said it would recompete the firm’s contract but leave York’s intact.

Col. Richard Kniseley, who leads the service’s Commercial Space Office, told reporters in an April 10 briefing at the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado, that his team will work with the Space Force’s launch enterprise and its Space Safari office to that end.

That office has been coordinating a series of Tactically Responsive Space exercises aimed at sharpening the service’s ability to react to real-time, on-orbit needs.

The pilot effort will focus on establishing a framework for using the Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve, or CASR, for responsive launches. Kniseley said Space Safari is particularly interested in CASR’s approach to managing supply chain risk and security issues and creating an on-call vendor pool.

The goal is to start the pilot by this fall, Kniseley said, noting that the effort would largely be a tabletop exercise rather than an operational demonstration.

The Space Force created the Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve as a mechanism to leverage commercial capabilities both in peacetime and during a conflict. Officials have compared the program to the Air Force’s Civil Reserve Air Fleet, which contracts with commercial airlines to provide additional airlift capacity in emergencies.

While the Space Force has its own military-unique requirements, commercial space companies already provide many capabilities the Defense Department relies on, including satellite communications, space domain awareness and launch services. The service in recent years has made a concerted effort to better understand how it can take advantage of those capabilities and integrate them into a range of mission areas.

The Space Force awarded its first four CASR contracts in early March. The awards totaled $1.1 million and went to companies who provide space domain awareness services. Kniseley said the service plans to make additional awards for satellite communications and tactical surveillance, reconnaissance and tracking — which includes data and imagery collection and dissemination.

Kniseley noted that as the service starts to execute on the initial contracts, it’s still fleshing out structural elements of CASR, like the policies around prioritizing government demand and how to offer financial protection for commercial companies who might be targeted by U.S. adversaries. The Space Force is working closely with the Pentagon’s policy shop to address these questions and hopes to have results from an ongoing study in the next few months.

The Commercial Space Office has also started convening CASR wargame exercises as a way to better understand the nuances of each mission area involved in the program.

Kniseley said the team recently held its first commercial satellite communications wargame, bringing together several SATCOM vendors to explore how they would distribute capacity in various wartime and peacetime scenarios and weigh the demands of investors, private sector customers, government users and international allies.

“We have a number of different action items and topics we want to work on and we are now going to get back together with the SATCOM communication in May to have a deep dive to start answering some of those questions,” Kniseley said, noting that there will be a second SATCOM wargame later this year.

Developed for the Missile Defense Agency’s Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor program, HBTSS, the L3Harris satellite has been on orbit since February 2024. According to MDA, the spacecraft is providing important test data and imagery of hypersonic test events.

Speaking with reporters April 9 at the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Ed Zoiss, president of space and airborne systems at L3Harris, said the company is ready to start producing the HBTSS sensor in high volumes.

“The sensor has proven itself out, and we need to start full-rate production,” he said. “We’re ready to do it now.”

In an executive order signed just one week into his second term, President Donald Trump directed the Pentagon to start making plans for a Golden Dome missile defense capability made up of advanced sensors and interceptors designed to track and neutralize both traditional and high-end missile threats.

In response, the Space Force, Missile Defense Agency, National Reconnaissance Office and other Defense Department agencies have been crafting options for achieving that vision. They’ve also reached out to the defense industry for ideas.

Zoiss said L3Harris proposed increased HBTSS production as part of its response to DOD’s call for input.

“We put in an architecture that we recommend for HBTSS and how we would see it to have global coverage,” he said. “We’re waiting to see what comes back.”

An increase in HBTSS production would be a shift in how DOD officials have envisioned the sensor’s role in space-based missile defense — at least publicly. MDA launched the capability in partnership with the Space Development Agency, which is building out a constellation of satellites in low Earth orbit that can detect and track hypersonic and ballistic missile threats.

That constellation will include tracking satellites equipped with wide-field-view sensors — built by L3Harris, Northrop Grumman and Sierra Space — and a smaller number of medium-field-of-view sensors like HBTSS, designed to track dimmer targets and send data to interceptors.

SDA is buying the tracking satellites in batches, or tranches, and has awarded contracts for Tranche 0, 1 and 2. Zoiss said the medium-field-of-view sensors SDA is buying for Tranche 1 and 2 are essentially copies of the HBTSS capability.

In a speech Wednesday at the symposium, MDA Deputy Director Maj. Gen. Jason Cothern said the agency looks forward to the capability being “operationalized” by the Space Force and integrated into SDA’s architecture.

Cothern said HBTSS has, to date, demonstrated “remarkable capability essential for missile defense.” MDA has used the satellite to track two separate hypersonic test flights and the sensor has collected more than 650,000 images of tailored test events and “interesting real-world events,” he added.

As DOD considers how HBTSS might fit into its Golden Dome strategy, MDA has begun work on a follow-on capability, a Discriminating Space Sensor, or DSS.

Whereas HBTSS was designed to track dimmer targets than traditional missile-warning sensors, DSS will help the Defense Department distinguish missile targets from enemy countermeasures, which are meant to make their advanced weapons harder to identify.

MDA plans to launch a prototype by the end of the decade, though Cothern said budget deliberations — which will be informed by the department’s Golden Dome approach — could shorten that timeline.

“The whole intent is to, like HBTSS, do an on-orbit demonstration of these discriminating capabilities to inform the future space-based architectures and what we need for next-generation missile defense,” he said.

MDA Director Heath Collins said last year DSS had completed ground concept testing and was ready to move into the on-orbit demonstration phase. The agency requested funds for DSS in its fiscal 2025 budget, but the documents don’t specify how much it asked for.

Like HBTSS, the agency will lead prototype development and then work with the Space Force to transition DSS for operational use.