Missile Defense Agency eyes discriminating space sensor launch by 2029

The Missile Defense Agency expects to launch a new sensor designed to discriminate between complex ballistic missile targets by the end of the decade, according to agency director Lt. Gen. Heath Collins.

The discriminating space sensor, or DSS, is a key part of MDA’s vision for a space-based missile-tracking layer, Collins told Defense News in a recent interview. The capability will complement the agency’s hypersonic- and ballistic-tracking space sensor, or HBTSS, which it developed under a partnership with the Space Development Agency, launching its first two satellites in February .

Whereas HBTSS was designed to track dimmer targets than traditional missile-warning sensors, DSS will help the Defense Department distinguish missile targets from enemy countermeasures, which are meant to make their advanced weapons harder to identify.

“We believe we can add a new capability or expand our capability to discriminate in the future with a space-based solution,” he said. “We’re going to be pursuing that DSS prototype next.”

Collins told lawmakers in April that the agency’s DSS had completed ground concept testing and was ready to move into the on-orbit demonstration phase. He told Defense News the plan is to launch the sensor by 2029.

The capabilities provided by DSS and HBTSS are part of a broader network of missile-tracking satellites the Defense Department is fielding to improve its ability to track both traditional ballistic missiles and maneuvering hypersonic weapons, which can travel at speeds above Mach 5. Positioned in a range of orbital regimes, the spacecraft will give the U.S. military a more detailed and holistic picture of potential threats as adversaries like China and Russia demonstrate advanced missile capabilities.

While MDA matured the sensor technology for HBTSS, the Space Development Agency, which is part of the Space Force, fielded the satellites. Collins said there will be a similar relationship between the agencies for DSS.

“We’re going to be pursuing that DSS prototype and then [will] work with the Space Force to transition that to operational use in the future,” he said.

MDA requested funds for DSS in its fiscal 2025 budget, Collins said, but the documents don’t specify how much it asked for.

As the agency progresses on the DSS prototype, it’s also conducting tests to calibrate and demonstrate the capabilities of its first HBTSS satellites on orbit. In June, the spacecraft tracked their first hypersonic launch — a test vehicle built by Kratos to prove the system’s performance. A second vehicle is slated to fly later this year.

Along with testbed tracks, the satellites have also monitored ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

“Every time they fly over Ukraine or Israel, they can pick up whatever happens,” Collins said. “We believe this is the technology that’s the baseline for our ability to hold any hypersonic weapon under custody in the future.”

Defense News reporter Jen Judson contributed to this story.