Lockheed Martin delivers 21 satellites for next launch of U.S. military ‘Transport Layer’

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— The Space Development Agency (SDA) is gearing up for its second launch of satellites for the Transport Layer Tranche 1 program. The Transport Layer satellites are designed to provide beyond line-of-sight connectivity for the U.S. military’s Link 16 tactical data network. Tranche 1 Transport Layer satellites. Lockheed is building 36 satellites for Transport Layer Tranche 2 and another 18 for Tracking Layer Tranche 2, which will serve as a missile-warning constellation. Sandhoo said the per-unit average cost of Transport Layer satellites is about $14 million.