The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) on April 9 will hold an industry day to unveil details about its planned operational missile-tracking satellite constellation, according to an April 1 posting on the Federal Business Opportunities Web site.
The MDA announced plans to build the Precision Tracking Space System (PTSS) more than a year ago, but details have been scant. Congress for several years rebuffed the MDA’s requests to begin building an operational constellation before two demonstration satellites built under a program called Space Tracking and Surveillance System were launched. Those satellites were launched last fall.
U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Patrick O’Reilly, the MDA’s director, has said the agency will hold an open competition to build PTSS, and the satellites will be smaller than the 1,125-kilogram Space Tracking and Surveillance System craft that were built by Northrop Grumman.
The industry day will be held at the National Conference Center in Lansdowne, Va.