The U.S. Space Force has awarded BAE Systems a $1.2 billion contract to build 10 missile-tracking satellites for a medium Earth orbit (MEO) constellation aimed at enhancing missile defense capabilities.
The contract, awarded on May 29 to BAE Systems Space and Mission Systems through a firm fixed price Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement, marks the second phase of the Space Force's Resilient Missile Warning Tracking program, known as Epoch 2. The program focuses on developing a network of satellites in MEO designed to detect and track a wide spectrum of missile threats, including emerging hypersonic weapons.
BAE Systems Space and Mission Systems, headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado, was formerly Ball Aerospace before its acquisition by BAE Systems in 2024.
“These satellites provide additional resiliency in the missile warning and tracking satellite architecture,” said Lt. Col. Brandon Castillo, materiel leader at the Epoch 2 program office.
The Resilient Missile Warning Tracking satellites will use advanced sensors to detect the heat signatures of missile launches and track their trajectories, feeding early warning and targeting information into the broader national missile defense system.
Multi-Orbit Defense Approach
Epoch 2 follows Epoch 1, a constellation of 12 MEO missile warning satellites under construction by Millennium Space Systems, with launches planned for late 2026 and 2027. The first Epoch 2 satellite delivery is scheduled for fiscal year 2029.
The Space Systems Command is coordinating with the Space Development Agency and the Missile Defense Agency to deploy a layered missile defense architecture, featuring proliferated satellite constellations in both low Earth orbit (LEO) and MEO to enhance coverage and resilience.
Golden Dome Initiative
The MEO constellation is part of the Department of Defense's multi-orbit missile defense strategy, dubbed the Golden Dome initiative and initiated under the Trump administration. MEO, ranging from 2,000 to 35,786 kilometers above Earth, offers a strategic balance by providing wider coverage than low Earth orbit satellites while offering superior resolution and lower signal latency compared to geostationary satellites.
The deployment of these MEO satellites aims to strengthen U.S. defense capabilities against evolving missile threats, particularly hypersonic weapons, which pose significant challenges to existing missile detection and tracking systems.