U.S. Space Force satellite procurement

In late July 2026 the U.S. Space Development Agency announced two major contracts totaling about $2 billion to build 36 Golden Dome missile‑warning and tracking satellites and to develop the Evolved Strategic SATCOM (ESS) mission‑planning application. The satellites, split between Sierra Space and L3Harris Technologies, are intended to detect ballistic and hypersonic threats and are scheduled for launch by the end of 2028. The ESS contract aims to provide secure, jam‑resistant communications for national leadership and strategic forces.

A few days later, in early August 2026, the Space Force awarded K2 Space a $22.9 million contract to demonstrate orbital laser‑communication terminals. The award funds the procurement, integration, launch and operation of two Enterprise Space Terminals as hosted payloads, with a demonstration target of 2028. This effort is part of a broader $100 million Enterprise Space Terminal program that seeks to enable rapid data sharing—particularly missile‑warning, tracking and targeting information—across low, medium and high‑orbit satellites.

Together, the contracts illustrate the Space Force’s ongoing push to expand a resilient, space‑based sensor and communications network that can support missile defense and strategic command‑and‑control capabilities.