Space Development Agency Launches Risk-Reduction Prototype Satellite

The Space Development Agency announced Tuesday it has successfully launched the first prototype of 12 risk-reduction satellites that are part of the Tranche 1 Demonstration and Experimentation System (T1DES) constellation.

The agency is part of the U.S. Space Force and is recognized as the U.S. Department of Defense’s constructive disruptor for space acquisition.

According to the Space Development Agency’s press release, the T1DES constellation is meant to deliver tactical data to warfighter platforms to support targeting, missile warning and tracking advanced missile threats.

The prototype satellite, which was launched Monday on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket under the Transporter 14 rideshare mission, will help integrate tactical satellite communication system capabilities from low-Earth orbit, the release stated.

“T1DES will demonstrate mission payloads and configurations for potential proliferation through future tranches of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture in an effort to lower latency of tactical data delivery and enhance beyond line-of-sight targeting capability,” said Derek Tournear, director of the Space Development Agency. “We’re very pleased to see this prototype space vehicle launch four months ahead of the original T1DES baseline schedule and before the first launch of Tranche 1’s operational space vehicles.”

The first risk-reduction space vehicle launched into orbit is referred to as T1DES Proto by the Space Development Agency and Dragoon by York Space Systems, which was awarded a $200 million prototype agreement by the Space Development Agency in 2022 to establish the T1DES program.

Within two hours of deploying the prototype satellite vehicle, York Space Systems established communications, the defense technology company stated in a press release Tuesday.

According to York Space Systems, Dragoon was part of the T1DES contract with the Space Development Agency, but the prototype was “fast-tracked in response to an identified agency need.”

"The Dragoon mission showcases exactly why our rapid mission delivery model matters," said Melanie Preisser, general manager and executive vice president at York Space Systems. "When SDA [the Space Development Agency] needed this capability sooner, we didn't just accelerate, we delivered. That kind of responsiveness is what today's defense posture demands."

York Space Systems is also utilizing this launch as a pathfinder for its LX-CLASS satellite platform, the Space Development Agency’s release said.

The LX-CLASS architecture is part of the Space Development Agency’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture and includes “end-to-end support, from design and manufacturing through flight software, ground systems and autonomous mission operations to advanced missile warning capabilities,” York Space Systems stated.

According to the Space Development Agency, the remaining 11 T1DES satellite vehicles will launch in fiscal year 2026. Those vehicles will demonstrate and experiment with tactical satellite communications, advanced waveforms and integrated broadcast service capabilities.