COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — An L3Harris executive said Wednesday the company’s newest missile-tracking sensor is ready for full-rate production as the Pentagon weighs architecture options for a next-generation “Golden Dome” missile defense capability.

Developed for the Missile Defense Agency’s Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor program, HBTSS, the L3Harris satellite has been on orbit since February 2024. According to MDA, the spacecraft is providing important test data and imagery of hypersonic test events.

Speaking with reporters April 9 at the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Ed Zoiss, president of space and airborne systems at L3Harris, said the company is ready to start producing the HBTSS sensor in high volumes.

“The sensor has proven itself out, and we need to start full-rate production,” he said. “We’re ready to do it now.”

In an executive order signed just one week into his second term, President Donald Trump directed the Pentagon to start making plans for a Golden Dome missile defense capability made up of advanced sensors and interceptors designed to track and neutralize both traditional and high-end missile threats.

In response, the Space Force, Missile Defense Agency, National Reconnaissance Office and other Defense Department agencies have been crafting options for achieving that vision. They’ve also reached out to the defense industry for ideas.

Zoiss said L3Harris proposed increased HBTSS production as part of its response to DOD’s call for input.