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Constellation to Deliver Crucial Fire-Control Sensing Data

A new contract award advances missile defense capabilities with the incorporation of fire control-quality instruments.

The Space Development Agency awarded a key contract to El Segundo-based Millennium Space Systems to create a prototype constellation to provide fire-control against missile and hypersonic threats. Graphic courtesy of Millennium Space Systems, a Boeing Company

The Space Development Agency (SDA) has awarded a key contract to El Segundo, California-based Millennium Space Systems under an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) award.

Under the firm fixed-price agreement award with a potential value of $414 million, Millennium, a Boeing company, will manufacture and deliver eight low Earth orbit satellites and a ground system.

The prototype constellation is called the Fire-control On Orbit-support-to-the-war Fighter, also known as FOO Fighter or F2.

“F2 accelerates the U.S. government’s ability to provide fire-control in support of global detection, warning and precision tracking of advanced threats, including hypersonic missile systems,” the company and SDA stated in separate press releases.

The constellation is expected to launch in the first quarter of fiscal year 2027, the SDA indicated.

“The FOO Fighter program will provide an operational demonstration of fire control efforts separate from, but complementary to, our missile warning/missile tracking and missile defense efforts already underway in the tranches,” said SDA Director Derek Tournear. “We look forward to working with Millennium, a new teammate in the expanding marketplace of performers innovating to deliver the PWSA [Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture] for the warfighter.”

The company will also perform mission operations for the system.

“FOO Fighter may be the World War II term for Unidentified Flying Objects, but this is a no kidding, critical mission that will help protect our country and allies against advanced threats,” said Jason Kim, CEO of Millennium Space Systems. “And we’re bringing invaluable insights from being at the forefront of fielding the intellectual property and technology that will make the FOO Fighter mission a reality.”

The company also noted that the mission engineering they have performed through modeling and simulation exercises will enable them “to understand the payload and its applicability to mission execution.”

The system is another piece to the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture the SDA is rapidly delivering for the military. The proliferated constellation of space vehicles will ultimately provide detection, tracking and fire control of advanced missile threats. The Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture is also a key space component of the data relay and tactical communications infrastructure needed for joint all-domain command and control.