Pony Express 2

Enhance Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control

Image credit: Lockheed Martin Corporation

Keeping the Warfighter connected

Pony Express 2 is a Lockheed Martin mission containing two Terran Orbital 12U Renegade-class space vehicle platforms designed to demonstrate and improve the technology readiness level of various payloads and vehicle components. It integrates four payloads which provide tactical communications systems; a Ka-band crosslink and mesh network; precision relative ranging and time synchronization across satellites; and a high-end CPU/processor.

Pony Express 2 will further advance cloud networking concepts among satellites, as well as validating Lockheed Martin’s SmartSat™ software-defined satellite architecture which enables streamlined hosting of flexible mission apps. Equipped with miniaturized cross-link and precision timing, Pony Express 2 is a trailblazer for autonomous teaming in space and true cloud networking.

The satellites will operate in identical orbits with an approximate separation distance.

Nation

USA

Application

Technology

Operator

Lockheed Martin

Configuration

12U

Launch Date

March 4, 2024

Launch Vehicle

Falcon-9

Mission Length

N/A

Mission Completion

N/A

Falcon-9

Transporter 10 mission was a dedicated rideshare flight to a sun-synchronous orbit with dozens of small microsatellites and nanosatellites for commercial and government customers.

There were 53 payloads on this flight, including CubeSats, MicroSats, and a hosted payload.

Falcon 9 is a two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX for the reliable and safe transport of satellites and the Dragon spacecraft into orbit. The Block 5 variant is the fifth major interval aimed at improving upon the ability for rapid reusability.

Pony Express 2

Keeping the Warfighter connected

Falcon-9

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