Space

GAO has long warned the program’s first launch would be delayed at least a year. Those projections could prove true, but perhaps for more nuanced reasons.

Over the last two years, Sierra Space has been awarded $1.5 billion in defense contracts for satellites and components.

Under a new $4 billion contract, commercial launch firms will place task orders and pay directly for various services required to support.

The launch was the second in a series the Space Force is running to test its ability to launch high-value satellites in response to operational needs.

In a May 16 notice, the service calls for feedback from firms that can provide space domain awareness in the “increasingly congested orbital environment.”