The STEP 2.0 IDIQ contract has a ceiling of $237 million, and the Space Force expects the first delivery order to begin in January 2026.

The demonstration by York Space Systems and SpaceX marks a critical milestone ahead of the agency's upcoming Tranche 1 launch.

Lockheed Martin intends to use the technology demonstration as a way to prove the LM 400's readiness for future Defense Department contracts.

"So, we are going from the demo phase to the operational phase, where we’re really going to be able to start testing all of this stuff out…

STEP 2.0 will fill an existing gap in the Space Test Program’s ability to procure and launch science-and-technology payloads, according to the Space Force.

The efforts are driven in part by U.S. Space Command’s shift towards “dynamic space operations” — the ability to easily, continuously and quickly maneuver on-orbit satellites.

The successful review paves the way for six satellites — part of Epoch 1 of the service’s Resilient Missile Warning and Missile Tracking-MEO (MEO MW/MT) program —…

Silentbarker is a joint NRO-Space Force program designed to monitor objects in geosynchronous orbit.

The agency will soon launch 13 additional systems with a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base.

Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman will each build and operate 36 satellites for SDA's Tranche 2 transport layer.