Northrop Grumman Selected to Build Tranche 2 Transport Layer-Beta Data Transport Satellites
August 22, 2023 | Northrop GrummanEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Northrop Grumman Corporation has been selected by the Space Development Agency (SDA) to design and build 36 data transport satellites, the first space vehicles in the latest generation of its low-Earth orbit Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA). The team will now update the company’s Tranche 1 design to add new broadcast and tactical communications capabilities to PWSA.
The satellites will integrate with, and expand the PWSA mesh network, utilizing high-data-capacity optical crosslinks to deliver accessible, near-real time communications to U.S. warfighters and defensive platforms operating around the globe. The design for this latest iteration, known as Tranche 2 Transport Layer Beta (T2TL Beta), builds on the 42 Tranche 1 Transport Layer (T1TL) and 14 Tranche 1 Tracking Layer (T1TRK) satellites that SDA previously announced it had awarded Northrop Grumman. The T2TL Beta space vehicles add new broadcast and tactical waveforms improving the capabilities of the overall PWSA.
“Creating a low-Earth orbit communications architecture that meets the needs of the warfighter is complex,” said Blake Bullock, vice president, communication systems, Northrop Grumman. “With Northrop Grumman's extensive military satellite communication experience and deep mission understanding, we are helping SDA make its vision a reality.”
Northrop Grumman announced in April it had completed critical design review on its T1TL design in just over a year and in May completed optical interoperability testing. The company is on track to launch its first plane of 21 space vehicles in Q4 2024.
Suggested Items
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
05/03/2024 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007This week’s most important news is strategic—and telling. When one puts together the IPC industry reports, we simply have to include the recent conversation with Shawn DuBravac and Tom Kastner. On the design side, check out the latest “On The Line With…” podcast featuring Brad Griffin from Cadence Design Systems, discussing SI and PI in the realm of intelligent system design.
Synopsys, Samsung Electronics Collaborate to Achieve First Production Tapeout of Flagship Mobile CPU
05/03/2024 | PRNewswireSynopsys, Inc. announced that Samsung Electronics has achieved successful production tapeout for its high-performance mobile SoC design, including flagship CPUs and GPUs, with 300MHz higher performance using Synopsys.ai™ full stack AI-driven EDA suite and a broad portfolio of Synopsys IP on Samsung Foundry's latest Gate-All-Around (GAA) process technologies.
Altair Acquires Research in Flight, Forging a New Path for Aerodynamic Analysis
05/03/2024 | AltairAltair a global leader in computational intelligence, announced it has acquired Research in Flight, maker of FlightStream®, which provides computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software with a large footprint in the aerospace and defense sector and a growing presence in marine, energy, turbomachinery, and automotive applications.
Real Time with… IPC APEX EXPO 2024: Software Solutions for Circuit Board Challenges
05/03/2024 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPONolan Johnson speaks with Will Webb from Aster Technologies about their software solutions for design teams, manufacturing, test engineers, and process engineers. Aster's software addresses the increasing complexities of circuit boards and the need for alternative testing methods.
Real Time with… IPC APEX EXPO 2024: My Role as a Technology Solutions Director
05/02/2024 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPOPeter Tranitz, senior director of technology solutions at IPC, shares insights into his role as the design initiative lead. He details his advocacy work, industry support, and the responsibilities of the design initiative committee. The conversation also covers the revamping of standards, the IPC Design Competition, and the implementation of design rules in software tools.