Prior to the introduction of satellites, weather forecasting relied significantly on ground observations, which were often uncertain. This evolved in the 1960s when the United States initiated the first weather observation efforts from space, enabling scientists to observe storms, cloud patterns, and atmospheric activities across vast sections of the Earth in near real time.
For many years, L3Harris and its legacy companies have been at the forefront of developing weather-monitoring satellites and infrared sensing systems that can detect subtle heat signatures present in the Earth’s atmosphere. These advanced systems can process immense datasets instantly, aiding meteorologists in tracking hurricanes, tornadoes, severe storms, and other rapidly changing weather phenomena.
Over time, L3Harris’s team recognized that the infrared sensing technologies employed for weather tracking could also be effectively utilized in missile tracking from space.
“Missile defense is a high-throughput, low-latency mission in the infrared as well,” stated Rob Mitrevski, President of Golden Dome Strategy and Integration at L3Harris, in a recent interview. “So we took that sort of very deep infrared knowledge…and we applied it to a different data product.”
Currently, many of the sensing principles originally developed for storm tracking are now being utilized to detect hypersonic missiles—high-speed, maneuverable threats that emit subtle heat signatures as they travel through the atmosphere at speeds exceeding Mach 5.
Hypersonic glide vehicles pose a unique challenge due to their speed, maneuverability, and comparatively lower heat emissions compared to traditional ballistic missiles. Effective detection of these threats necessitates advanced infrared sensing technologies, rapid on-board satellite data processing, and sophisticated algorithms capable of filtering through atmospheric interferences and background noise.
Why this is remarkable: Technology originally designed for monitoring hurricanes and severe storms is now integral in tracking hypersonic missiles traveling at speeds greater than Mach 5.
Today, L3Harris is leveraging its extensive infrared sensing expertise to develop advanced missile warning and tracking systems aimed at enabling operators to detect dim, agile threats from space in real time. From its inception in weather observation, this technology has transformed into a vital component of the future missile defense strategy.
Source: L3Harris (2026-06-29)
