Northrop Grumman Deploys First 21 Satellites for U.S. Military Communications Network

Northrop Grumman successfully launched and deployed 21 satellites on October 10, 2026, for the U.S. Space Development Agency’s (SDA) Tranche 1 Transport Layer (T1TL). SpaceX launched the satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base. This is the first in a series of planned Northrop Grumman deployments for the agency’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA).

The PWSA is a low-Earth-orbit constellation designed to provide secure, low-latency data communications for U.S. military forces. It will connect warfighters with missile-tracking satellites and extend the military’s Link 16 tactical data network into space, enabling rapid transmission of critical information worldwide.

The launch is a step toward the PWSA’s initial operational capability. Northrop Grumman is under contract to deliver approximately 150 satellites across multiple tranches for the SDA’s resilient space architecture.