Fortune 500 defense contractor Northrop Grumman has been awarded a contract valued at up to $732 million by the U.S. Space Force’s Space Development Agency. Under this contract, Northrop Grumman will build 38 data transport satellites as part of the Tranche 2 Transport Layer – Alpha prototype constellation.
The Tranche 2 Transport Layer – Alpha is a key component of the agency’s low-Earth orbit Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. The constellation will offer encrypted communications for warfighters, as well as missile warning, tracking, and missile threat detection. It will also support the Pentagon’s Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) mission. This mission aims to connect sensors and shooters across the military branches into a single network.
The contract also includes Denver-based York Space Systems, which will build 62 satellites under a separate $617 million agreement. The total value of the awards for the Tranche 2 Transport Layer – Alpha amounts to approximately $1.3 billion.
The first orbital plane of the alpha constellation is expected to be launched by September 2026, along with the first beta prototype plane. This represents a significant step in the development of the space-based communications network.
Northrop Grumman, along with its industry teammates, is dedicated to fulfilling the Space Development Agency’s vision. The company’s expertise in Military SATCOM (satellite communications) will contribute to the success of the mission.
The initial satellites for the network, Tranche 0, were launched in April 2023 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, demonstrating the feasibility of the network.
With approximately 95,000 employees and $36.6 billion in revenue in 2022, Northrop Grumman is a major player in the defense industry. The company was ranked No. 413 on Fortune magazine’s Global 500 list for 2023 and No. 113 on its annual 1000 list of U.S. corporations for that year.
