Millennium House lands $414 million contract to construct missile-tracking satellites

WASHINGTON — Millennium House Techniques, a subsidiary of Boeing, gained a $414 million contract from the House Growth Company to provide specialised satellites aimed toward detecting and monitoring hypersonic missile threats, the company introduced April 30. 

Below the settlement, Millennium will construct eight satellites outfitted with superior infrared and optical sensors, present the bottom system and assist in-orbit operations. 

Millennium’s satellites are for a program known as Fireplace-control On Orbit-support-to-the-war Fighter (FOO Fighter), which seeks to show applied sciences in assist of a community of satellites being developed by SDA referred to as the Proliferated Warfighter House Structure.

The PWSA is an formidable effort to create a resilient community of a whole bunch of small, mass-produced satellites working in low-Earth orbit to assist army operations, together with the detection and monitoring of enemy missiles.

SDA plans to launch the FOO Fighter satellites within the first quarter of fiscal yr 2027.

“FOO Fighter, or F2, will show superior missile protection functionality by incorporating fireplace control-quality sensors right into a prototype constellation,” Derek Tournear, SDA director, stated in a press release. 

Monitoring hypersonic missiles

Having sensors in house that may reliably detect and monitor hypersonic missiles is a vital functionality that SDA is pursuing. These weapons can journey at greater than 5 instances the velocity of sound and are extremely maneuverable, making them extraordinarily tough to shoot down. 

“The FOO Fighter program will present an operational demonstration of fireside management efforts separate from, however complementary to, our missile warning/missile monitoring and missile protection efforts already underway,” Tournear stated. 

The F2 satellites, for instance, will show applied sciences to gather exact monitoring knowledge, and assist information interceptor missiles to destroy the threats in-flight. This so-called “fireplace management” functionality permits the monitoring and concentrating on knowledge to move between satellites, floor programs, and interceptor missiles.

The F2 constellation is a categorized program. SDA issued a request for bids Dec. 1, 2023, and proposals have been due Jan. 19.

That is Millenium House’s first award as a primary contract for SDA’s proliferated constellation. The company buys satellites from a number of prime contractors. 

Jason Kim, CEO of Millennium House, stated in a press release that FOO Fighter is a “no kidding, vital mission that can assist shield our nation and allies towards superior threats.”

“The mission engineering we’ve finished is grounded in modeling and simulation workouts, permitting us to grasp the payload and its applicability to mission execution,” Kim stated.

Kay Sears, vp and basic supervisor of Boeing House, Intelligence & Weapon Techniques, stated the F2 award is a serious win for Millennium House. “The FOO Fighter program is a pathfinder in pushing the right combination of innovation, functionality and tempo for our most crucial buyer mission calls for,” Sears stated in a press release.

“With regards to superior threats, like hypersonic missile programs, it’s vital the U.S. army has fire-control high quality tracks to guard our nation and allies, and that’s what our subsidiary Millennium House Techniques brings with FOO Fighter,” stated Michelle Parker, vp of Boeing House Mission Techniques.

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