PWSA (Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture)

2023

Satellite launch

In early September 2023, SpaceX sent 13 US military satellites into space as part of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) project. The satellite group is designed to detect and track cruise missile launches, as well as provide "global military communications." Spacecraft are capable of tracking projectiles in low Earth orbit with an altitude of 950 km.

It is not reported when the satellites will start working. It is possible that this information may be kept secret, as it concerns security and state order. These factors allow you not to disclose all the details of the operation.

SpaceX sends 13 military satellites into space

The satellites were launched as part of the Tranche 0 program of the Space Development Agency (SDA) of the US Department of Defense. As stated on the agency's website, "SDA programs are an integral part of the hybrid space architecture of national security in the field of communications, data transmission and missile attack warning." This security architecture is called the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA).

After the first launch (in April 2023), ten satellites were launched into low Earth orbit. The second launch was planned as the final one at this stage, according to its results, 28 satellites will be in orbit, of which eight will be warned of a missile attack, the rest will be used for communication (they are also called transport).

The developers of communication satellites are York Space Systems and Lockheed Martin, and rocket tracking is SpaceX and L3Harris. Terrestrial satellite support is provided by the United States Navy Research Laboratory.

The satellites of the Tranche 0 program are demonstration satellites, workers will be launched as part of the Tranche 1 program. There will be more than 150 of them, including 126 communications satellites and 35 tracking satellites. The start of launches is scheduled for the end of 2024, according to the SDA website.^[1]

Creation of a constellation of military satellites

On August 22, 2023, it became known that the US Space Force is forming a large-scale constellation of military satellites in low Earth orbit.

According to The Washington Post, the information about the project was shared by the head of space operations, General Chance Saltzman. The launch of spacecraft is carried out as part of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) program. The satellites are designed "for communications and other purposes." The group, in particular, will improve the ability of the United States to track new threats, such as hypersonic missiles.

Spacecraft launch is carried out as part of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) program

According to Soltzman, the first 10 satellites under the PWSA program were launched in April 2023, and by the end of this year another 18 spacecraft will go into orbit. 160 satellites are scheduled to be sent into space in 2024. In general, after a full-scale deployment, the group will number approximately 1000 sets. Such a large number of satellites will provide a number of advantages: the system will be more difficult to disable, in addition, it will be able to serve a huge number of connected users with high efficiency.

Soltzman noted that space is inevitably an area of ​ ​ potential conflict. Therefore, the task of the PWSA project is to ensure "space superiority" for the United States. The system will consist of several levels. One of them is the so-called Transport Layer: such spacecraft will be responsible for forming a mesh network for high-speed information transmission. The second level is the Tracking Layer: satellites of this type will be equipped with special means for detecting hypersonic missiles and monitoring the Earth. The system will also provide navigation capabilities.^[2]

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