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Pentagon reports successful launch of hypersonic weapons tracking satellites

Over the next few weeks, Missile Defense Agency and Space Development Agency engineers are expected to run a series of tests and checkout procedures to ensure the satellites are operational

WASHINGTON, February 15. /TASS/. The US Department of Defense has reported the successful launch of six satellites, including two designed to monitor hypersonic and ballistic weapons.

"On Wednesday, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and Space Development Agency (SDA) confirmed the successful launch of six satellites to low-Earth orbit at 5:30 p.m. ET from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space by SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket," the Pentagon’s news release reads.

"The satellites, which include two satellites for MDA's Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS) and the final four SDA Tranche 0 (T0) Tracking Layer satellites of its Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA), were safely delivered to orbit."

As the Pentagon said earlier, HBTSS satellites will detect hypersonic, ballistic, and other advanced threats earlier than terrestrial radars. Over the next few weeks, MDA and SDA engineers are expected to run a series of tests and checkout procedures to ensure the satellites are operational. The satellites will undergo two years of on-orbit testing.

The satellites for HBTSS are being developed by the US military-industrial companies L3Harris Technologies and Northrop Grumman. In January 2021, they received from the Pentagon for this purpose $122 million and $155 million respectively. L3Harris Technologies in December 2021 finalized the design and began building a sample of the new satellite. Northrop Grumman did this earlier.

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