SpaceX Wins $9.9 Million Study of Laser Links for Missile-Tracking Satellites

SpaceX has received a $9.9 million Pentagon contract to study how its laser communications technology could support missile-warning and tracking satellites.

The award covers a risk-reduction study of the company's Plug and Play Laser, known as Plaser. It also calls for representative hardware and support for integration with missile-warning and tracking systems, according to the Defense Department's November 10 contract announcement.

The initial contract is worth $9,921,992. Options could bring its maximum value to $12,666,379. The Space Development Agency awarded the contract on November 9, with work expected to finish by October 7, 2027.

Work will take place in Hawthorne, California, and Redmond, Washington. The initial amount is being funded through fiscal 2026 research, development, test and evaluation money.

The project concerns optical links, which use lasers to move data between satellites. It is a study and hardware-development effort, not an announcement that a new missile-tracking system is already operating.

SpaceNews reported that the work could help bridge commercial and military satellite networks. Such connections would allow information to move between different constellations, an important part of the military's plan for a network of satellites that can detect and track threats.

The contract announcement does not set out a deployment date for an operational Plaser network. Its October 2027 deadline applies to the work covered by this award.