
The Defense Department late Wednesday said that six demonstration satellites launched earlier that evening for the Missile Defense (MDA) and Space Development (SDA) Agencies successfully reached orbit and have begun initial testing and checkout. The final four Tranche 0 Tracking Layer and the two Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS) satellites will spend the next two years in a testing program. DoD said that over the next few weeks, engineers from both agencies will conduct tests and checkout procedures…