Space Force Missile Alert Satellites at Risk of Critical Defects

A new global satellite system to alert US forces of incoming missile attacks was one of the “lowest performing” Space Force programs last year and risks developing “mission-critical defects” after being launched into orbit, according to an unreleased service report.

The system is being developed by Lockheed Martin Corp., Northrop Grumman Corp., L3 Harris Technologies Inc. and York Space Systems Inc.

But the sprawling effort to build and launch hundreds of satellites from several different companies has suffered from hardware production delays, software integration problems and an “acquisition strategy that prioritizes delivery to operations over assured performance,” ...