L3Harris Selects Mercury to Provide Solid-State Data Recorders for SDA’s Tranche 2 Tracking Layer Satellites

Mercury Systems, Inc. was awarded a $31 million contract from L3Harris Technologies, Inc. to provide solid-state data recorders for the U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA)’s Tranche 2 Tracking Layer satellite constellation.

SDA’s Tranche 2 Tracking Layer Satellite
(illustration: L3Harris Technologies)

L3Harris was selected in January to design and build 18 satellites that will provide near-global missile warning and tracking coverage, with preliminary missile defense, under SDA’s Tranche 2 Tracking Layer program. The Tracking Layer is part of SDA’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, a layered network of military satellites supporting multiple missions in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Tranche 2 follows the 16-satellite constellation L3Harris is building for Tranche 1, and the 4 recently launched satellites it built for the Tranche 0.

Mercury RH3440 solid-state data recorder

Mercury’s solid-state data recorders (SSDRs) are the primary storage devices on all 3 L3Harris constellations. These radiation-tolerant devices enable on-orbit sensor data processing and storage in a 3U VPX form factor, with a microprocessor and software-free design that ensure precise, long-term operation in harsh environments. The company’s SSDRs have a proven spaceflight heritage, powering missions such as NASA’s Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation science mission that is currently in operation aboard the International Space Station.

“We are extremely proud to provide the on-orbit data storage capabilities for this important national security mission,” said Tom Smelker, GM, microsystems business unit, Mercury. “The Mercury Processing Platform brings unique advantages to the space domain, with edge-ready products that turn data into decisions.”

Innovation that matters
Mercury is a technology company that delivers mission-critical processing power to the edge, making technologies profoundly more accessible for today’s most challenging aerospace and defense missions. Its Processing Platform allows customers to tap into innovative capabilities from silicon to system scale, turning data into decisions on timelines that matter. The firm’s products and solutions are deployed in more than 300 programs and across 35 countries, enabling a range of applications in mission computing, sensor processing, command and control, and communications. The company is headquartered in Andover, MA, and has 24 locations WW.