SDA Tranche 0B

Second of two dedicated launches for the Space Development Agency's Tranche 0 Transport and Tracking Layer. Originally intended to carry 18 satellites, a late manifest change reduced the flight to 13: one York Space Systems-built and ten Lockheed Martin/Tyvak-built Transport layer satellites, plus two SpaceX/Leidos Starlink-derived Tracking layer satellites.

The Transport layer is an interoperable mesh network providing periodic low-latency, high-capacity data connectivity; the Tracking layer consists of cross-linked satellites with wide field-of-view infrared sensors for persistent hypersonic missile tracking.

Flown with a short-nozzle Falcon 9 second stage, a configuration suited to lower-energy orbits that reduces cost and improves launch cadence at the expense of maximum performance.