Resilient Missile Warning Missile Tracking - Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)

The Resilient Missile Warning Missile Tracking - Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) program, managed by the United States Space Force (USSF), seeks to enhance missile warning and tracking capabilities through a resilient space architecture. This initiative involves collaboration among the Space Systems Command (SSC), the Space Development Agency (SDA), and other Department of Defense (DoD) and Intelligence Community (IC) partners. The primary objective is to transition from legacy missile warning systems to a more robust multi-orbit approach, capable of countering advanced threats such as hypersonic glide vehicles and fractional orbital bombardment systems.

The program's goals include deploying space assets in multiple phases to incrementally deliver capabilities while ensuring competition throughout its lifecycle. The MEO initiative will support the development, testing, and delivery of flight payloads and satellite buses for Epoch 1, with plans to achieve full operational capability by FY 2031. It also integrates ground segment activities, which involve mission data processing application development, command and control software integration, and the construction of ground entry point sites to support on-orbit operations.

Key components of the Resilient MW/MT - MEO program include collaboration with vendors like Raytheon, Millennium Space Systems, and L3 Harris for space vehicle development. The program plans to deliver nine space vehicles in total, with efforts encompassing design, build, integration, testing, launch operations, and data processing. Ground efforts focus on developing command and control systems and mission data processing software to operate the constellation of MEO space vehicles effectively.

The program emphasizes system-of-systems integration across various orbital regimes to support comprehensive missile warning and defense capabilities. Future phases will expand upon initial capabilities by acquiring additional satellites and enhancing ground infrastructure. The overarching aim is to ensure that the USSF can maintain situational awareness and operational effectiveness in contested space environments while meeting validated requirements prior to full-scale production.