On September 21, BAE Systems announced that it has completed the Critical Design Review (CDR) for the $1.2 billion U.S. Space Force (USSF) Space Systems Command (SSC) Resilient Missile Warning & Tracking (RMWT) – Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) Epoch 2 program.
MEO Epoch 2 will provide resilient, space-based missile warning and tracking of ballistic missiles and advanced threats, such as hypersonic glide vehicles, in support of the Space Force’s mission. The CDR verifies that the program design meets operational, performance and safety requirements and can advance to the next stage of production.
“Digital modelling and simulation, based on early collaboration and ongoing communication with the customer, helped us to achieve this successful Critical Design Review quickly,” said Thai Sheridan, vice president and general manager of Military Space for BAE Systems Space & Mission Systems. “We’re now able to fully engage our vertically integrated production capabilities as we guide the program with mission planning, payload and bus delivery, and operational command and control capabilities.”
As the program’s prime contractor, the company will design and build 10 spacecraft for the MEO Epoch 2 mission. It will also develop the ground system that will manage the satellite constellation by delivering mission management, command and control, and mission operations solutions to enhance operational efficiency.
The Critical Design Review was completed on schedule, only 14 months after the program was awarded to BAE Systems. USSF program support requires rapid development, and meeting the program schedule was made possible by long-lead procurements secured by the company over the past year.
Source: BAE Systems
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By Loren Blinde
September 24, 2026
