Fast-moving threats are hard to catch in orbit, so the Space Force is prototyping cheaper ways to sense them. Leonardo DRS will develop the hardware under an Other Transaction Agreement, the company said Sept. 1.
The prototype spans detection through targeting, and the service wants the design to stay affordable and scalable enough for mass production, with resilient supply chains behind it. Officials framed the work as support for U.S. space superiority and space control missions, though no contract value was disclosed.
Prototype status matters: it lets the service test the sensing concept before committing to a production buy, a path typical of Other Transaction agreements.
The order lands as the Space Force scours industry for sensor hardware cheap enough to mass-produce for proliferated constellations. DRS joins a growing list of suppliers competing for that business, and the prototype outcome will shape who gets the larger production work.
