BAE Systems has completed a major design milestone for a $1.2 billion US Space Force missile-warning and tracking program.
The company has cleared the Critical Design Review for the Medium Earth Orbit Epoch 2 constellation, allowing the 10-spacecraft program to move toward production.
The satellites are being developed to detect and track ballistic missiles and advanced threats, including hypersonic glide vehicles.
The Critical Design Review is an important stage in the spacecraft development process. It confirms that the planned design is detailed enough to meet required operational, performance and safety standards. BAE Systems completed the review on schedule, about 14 months after receiving the program award.
BAE Systems is the prime contractor for the entire constellation. It will design and build all 10 spacecraft and develop the ground system that will control and manage them. The company says the ground segment will support mission management, command and control, and day-to-day mission operations.
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The program is managed by the US Space Force’s Space Systems Command. It forms part of the broader Resilient Missile Warning & Tracking architecture, which is designed to strengthen the US’s ability to detect and follow missile threats from space.
Thai Sheridan, vice president and general manager of Military Space at BAE Systems Space & Mission Systems, said digital modelling and simulation helped the company complete the review quickly. He also pointed to early cooperation and continued communication with the customer as important elements of the development process.
Ten Satellites Build Coverage
The Epoch 2 constellation will operate in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO). This is a region of space between low Earth orbit and geostationary orbit. Operating satellites at this altitude gives missile-warning systems a different viewing geometry from systems positioned closer to Earth.
The spacecraft will focus on missile warning and tracking. Their sensors are intended to identify and follow ballistic missiles as well as newer and more complex threats. These include hypersonic glide vehicles, which travel through the atmosphere at high speed and can maneuver during flight.
Missile-warning satellites are an important part of modern defense networks. They provide an early view of missile launches and help establish a continuous picture of potential threats. That information can then support command decisions and other elements of a wider missile-defense system.
The Space Force operates and develops space-based capabilities that support US national security. Its missile-warning mission relies on satellites, sensors, communications networks and ground infrastructure working together. The wider objective is to maintain timely information about missile activity across large areas.
Ground System Adds Control
The Epoch 2 program is not limited to the satellites themselves. BAE Systems is also responsible for the associated ground architecture that will connect operators with the spacecraft. The system will provide mission planning, command and control, and operational management.
In simple terms, the ground segment acts as the management layer for the constellation. Operators can use it to plan missions, send commands and monitor spacecraft activities. Such coordination is essential when multiple satellites must work as one network.
BAE Systems plans to use its TREK spacecraft bus as part of the design. A spacecraft bus provides the basic platform needed to operate a satellite, including systems for power, communications, control and other essential functions. The company is combining that platform with its experience in infrared optical payloads used for space-based sensing.
The program also uses model-based systems engineering. This approach allows engineers to build digital representations of a system and test how different parts work together before physical production. BAE Systems says digital modelling and simulation helped support the design-review process.
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Production Work Already Started
BAE Systems has already taken steps to support the program’s accelerated schedule. During the past year, the company secured long-lead procurements for components that require significant time to manufacture or deliver. It also began early production of selected program components while detailed design work was still underway.
The approach is intended to reduce delays between design approval and spacecraft production. Completing the Critical Design Review now provides the program with a formal basis for moving deeper into manufacturing. BAE Systems can also expand its vertically integrated production capabilities across the spacecraft program.
Sheridan said the company can now fully engage those production capabilities. He said the work will cover mission planning, payload and spacecraft-bus delivery, as well as operational command and control functions.
The development also reflects a broader shift toward resilient space-based missile-warning networks. Modern systems must track increasingly varied threats while maintaining reliable coverage and command links. Multiple spacecraft and supporting ground infrastructure can provide a distributed architecture rather than depending on a single satellite or sensor.
For the US and its allies, space-based missile warning remains a key part of strategic surveillance. The Epoch 2 program adds another layer to that architecture by combining MEO spacecraft, infrared sensing and dedicated ground control. With the design review completed, the next phase will focus increasingly on production, integration and preparation for future operations.
