The U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA) successfully launched the first of what will become a planetary constellation comprising hundreds of satellites as America’s first line of defense against enemy missiles.
The launches came as the United States steps up its actions to counter threats posed by China and Russia.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket took off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on April 2 and deployed the first 10 satellites in low-earth orbit.
“It was a beautiful Palm Sunday launch,” SDA Director Derek Tournear told attendees at a space defense forum three days after the event.
Illustration showing the Transport Layer of the Space Development Agency’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. (Courtesy Space Development Agency)
“This is our first launch of what we call the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA).”…