U.S. Space Development Agency launches 21 military data-transport satellites
The Space Development Agency launched 21 data-transport satellites on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from California on July 16, its third Tranche 1 batch toward a planned 154-satellite network for secure military communications and missile tracking, according to Air & Space Forces Magazine and Spaceflight Now.
The U.S. Space Development Agency launched its third batch of 21 data-transport satellites aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on July 16, 2026. The spacecraft, built by York Space Systems, join the Tranche 1 Transport Layer of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, a low Earth orbit mesh network designed to provide secure, jam-resistant communications and missile warning and tracking for U.S. forces and allies. There are 154 operational satellites planned across Tranche 1, managed from operations centers in North Dakota and Alabama. The launch was the agency's first in nine months after early satellites encountered hardware and software issues on orbit. Source: Air & Space Forces Magazine, Spaceflight Now.