SDA Tranche 2 Missile Tracking System to Use Geost’s Mercury Sensors

Tucson, Arizona-based optical sensor system company Geost has announced that it will supply 16 Mercury missile warning and tracking systems to the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 2 Tracking Layer as a subcontractor of the satellite constellation project. 

The company, a unit of LightRidge Solutions, secured the task order from Sierra Space, one of the three T2 Tracking Layer contractors that will integrate the sensors as mission payloads of the 54 satellites scheduled for launch. Mission processing solutions will also be included in the satellites’ payloads, which are a vital part of the SDA’s Proliferated Warfighting Space Architecture, Geost said Sunday.

Bill Gattle, LightRidge Solutions CEO, cited the strategic value of Geost’s Sierra Space contract, as both companies are venturing into new mission capabilities. 

Other opportunities that the new task opens include infrared sensor delivery to satellite missions in medium- and low-Earth orbits, said Rich Gray, Geost president.

Geost had previously received a Northrop Grumman contract to supply eight Starlite optical sensor payloads for the SDA’s Tranche 1 Tracking Layer constellation.