Space Force awards ULA, SpaceX $1 billion for seven launches 

The Space Force issued contracts to SpaceX and United Launch Alliance worth more than $1 billion for seven military launch missions starting in fiscal 2027.  

SpaceX received $714 million for five launches and ULA was awarded $428 million for two launches, USSF said in an Oct. 3 news release.  

The awards are part of the Space Force’s National Security Space Launch Program, which it uses to launch services for military space missions. In April, it chose SpaceX, ULA, and Blue Origin to launch a total of 54 missions scheduled between fiscal 2027 and 2032, with SpaceX responsible for just over half, with 28 launches. Individual missions will be awarded in batches through fiscal 2029.

“Space is the ultimate high ground, critical for our national security,” said Col. Eric Zarybnisky, program executive officer for Assured Access to Space, in a release. “We continue to assure access to that high ground. Delivering assets to the warfighter is our ultimate mission, and we rely on our strong government-industry partnerships … to successfully achieve that goal.”

Blue Origin, a newcomer to NSSL, is not yet certified to fly military launches. Its New Glenn took its first flight in January and is scheduled for its second, a NASA mission, later this month. The firm wasn’t eligible for this first batch of launches, and its next opportunity will come in fiscal 2027.

The 54 missions, worth a total of $13.7 billion, are part of Lane 2 of the NSSL Phase 3 contract, which covers the Space Force’s more complex launch requirements. The service plans to fly another 30 mission launches as part of Lane 1, which covers commercial-like missions that have less stringent performance requirements. SpaceX, ULA, and Blue Origin and two newcomers—Stoke Space, whose new Nova rocket is slated for its first flight next year, and Rocket Lab, who says its Neutron will fly late this year or early next—to compete for Lane 1 missions, which are valued at a total of $5.6 billion. 

The newly awarded missions include two unspecified launches for the National Reconnaissance Office and five for the Space Force—including a GPS satellite, the 12th Wideband Global Satellite Communications spacecraft and three undisclosed missions, which will launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Base, Fla.