WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force awarded Millennium Space Systems contracts price $509.5 million for the primary six satellites of a medium Earth orbit constellation to detect and track ballistic and hypersonic missiles.
The choice of Millennium Space as a satellite supplier for the Space Force’s medium Earth orbit (MEO) network of space sensors was announced last month however the value of the contract was not released on the time.
A spokesperson for the Space Systems Command said Millennium Space has been awarded contracts totaling $509.5 million for the production and delivery of six Epoch 1 satellites.
These are small spacecraft built on Millennium Space’s Altair satellite bus.
“As well as, Millennium is delivering command and control and mission data processing systems required to operate these satellites,” the spokesperson said in an announcement to . ‘The total contract also includes additional award options to support launch activities and as much as five additional years of on-orbit operations. If awarded, these options would add a further $123.4 million.”
Satellite passed key review in November
The Space Systems Command announced Nov. 27 that Millennium’s proposed satellite passed a critical design review and the corporate will begin manufacturing hardware for delivery and launch in late 2026.
The MEO missile tracking constellation, projected to have as many as 27 satellites, is designed for enhanced coverage and detection capabilities to complement existing systems in geosynchronous orbits.
Millennium Space, a Boeing-owned company based in El Segundo, California, focuses on small satellites and rapid prototyping.
Other corporations competing for future MEO satellite orders include RTX and L3Harris.