WASHINGTON — Sierra Space has secured a contract worth up to $798 million from the U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA) to build 18 missile warning and tracking satellites for the Pentagon's expanding Golden Dome missile defense architecture, marking one of the company's largest defense awards to date.
The award, announced by the SDA and the Louisville, Colorado-based company this week, calls for Sierra Space to design, manufacture and deliver 18 satellites for the Accelerated Missile Defense Tranche 3 (AMDT3) Tracking Layer of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA). The spacecraft are scheduled to be ready for launch by the end of 2028, according to the agency.
The firm-fixed-price Other Transaction Authority agreement has a potential value of $798 million. Sierra Space said the contract strengthens its role as a prime contractor in the U.S. national security space sector.
"This contract demonstrates Sierra Space's capabilities as a formidable player in American national security," Chief Executive Officer Dan Jablonsky said in a company statement.
The SDA simultaneously awarded a separate contract valued at $955 million to L3Harris Technologies to build another 18 satellites for the same missile defense effort. Together, the two awards total roughly $1.75 billion and will provide 36 spacecraft across four orbital planes to expand the Tracking Layer supporting the Golden Dome initiative.
According to the SDA, the Tranche 3 satellites are intended to provide persistent global missile warning, detection, tracking and support for missile defense against advanced ballistic and hypersonic threats. The agency said the accelerated procurement is designed to meet plans for an initial operational capability by 2028.
The award represents a significant expansion of Sierra Space's defense portfolio as the company increases its focus on military and national security programs alongside its commercial space business. Industry observers have also noted that the latest contracts reinforce Colorado's growing role in U.S. military space manufacturing, with companies in the state now responsible for a substantial share of the missile-tracking satellites awarded under the Golden Dome program.
The SDA said both contractors will proceed with development and production under the AMDT3 program, with satellite deliveries supporting launches planned before the end of 2028.
