Lockheed Martin has awarded Terran Orbital Corporation (NYSE: LLAP) a contract to build 36 satellite buses for Space Development Agency’s (SDA) Tranche 2 Transport Layer (T2TL) Beta constellation. Terran Orbital will deliver the buses to Lockheed Martin, which will conduct payload integration and jointly operate the satellites with SDA.
SDA’s T2TL Beta constellation will advance the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture’s (PWSA) initial warfighting capability with targeted technology enhancements, mission-focused payload configurations, and increased integration. The PWSA provides a resilient, low-latency communication system to connect warfighter platforms worldwide and help the military target threats and detect and track missiles.
Terran Orbital is currently building 42 buses for Lockheed Martin to help the company fulfill its $700 million contract for the SDA’s Tranche 1 Transport Layer (T1TL), currently scheduled for a late 2024 launch.
Last spring, Terran Orbital completed a successful Critical Design Review (CDR) and Manufacturing Readiness Review (MRR) for the T1TL satellite buses, which are manufactured in the company’s smallsat production facilities in Irvine, California. The MRR confirmed Terran Orbital’s readiness to manufacture and deliver all 42 T1TL satellite buses.
Now, with the completion of Terran Orbital’s T1TL MRR and Lockheed Martin’s CDR, Terran Orbital will deliver the 42 satellite buses to Lockheed Martin for payload integration and testing in the company’s new 20,000-square-foot small satellite assembly facility near Denver. The same facilities will eventually be used for payload integration and testing of the 36 T2TL Beta satellite buses.
Last year, Terran Orbital delivered 10 satellite buses to Lockheed Martin in support of their Tranche 0 Transport Layer contract with SDA. The T2TL Beta satellites are scheduled to be deployed into low Earth orbit during a series of launches starting in 2026.
“We congratulate Lockheed Martin on another big contract win in support of SDA’s Transport Layer mission. We are proud that Lockheed Martin has selected Terran Orbital to deliver high-quality satellite buses for a vital mission to connect and protect U.S. military personnel worldwide.” — Marc Bell, Terran Orbital Chairman and Chief Executive Officer