An informational graphic by the US Department of Defense’s Space Development Agency, detailing the multilayer National Space Defense Architecture. (US Department of Defense)

The prototype low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites designed for the Tracking Layer of the Space Development Agency’s (SDA’s) Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) have cleared the critical design review (CDR), marking a key milestone for the architecture’s ongoing development.

The CDR clearance was for the design of the prototype space vehicle and datalink capability for the Tranche 1 Transport Layer (T1TL) of the PWSA, developed by a Northrop Grumman-Airbus US Space & Defense team. Northop Grumman’s decision to base its T1TL design on a mix of the company’s military-centric intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities along with those derived from its “commercial marketplace partnerships” ultimately aided in the prototype receiving CDR approval, said Blake Bullock, the company’s vice-president for communication systems and strategic space systems.