The Space Force — through the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program under the United States Department of Defense — awarded SpaceX and the United Launch Alliance a total of $1 billion in launch contracts. The money is dedicated to seven military space missions, starting in 2027, five of which will go to Elon Musk’s SpaceX for $714 million. According to the official description, the program procures commercial launch services through companies like SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, or even Blue Origin, as a means to launch and deploy military or intelligence-related satellites and equipment. These launches will carry high-value, mission-critical payloads that are typically difficult to achieve, as a heavier payload mass requires suitable commercial heavy launch vehicles.
This is an additional order of launches, with 54 scheduled back in April, for $13.7 billion and spread across three companies — SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, and Blue Origin. SpaceX was awarded 28 missions out of that group. Those missions will take place between 2027 and 2032, with more individual missions planned. The most recent missions include the following launch classifications: USSF-206/WGS-12, USSF-155, NROL-86, USSF-149, and USSF-63. Breaking Defense reports USSF-206 will carry a twelfth Wideband Global Satcom satellite for encrypted military communication, while some of the other missions are classified. This does give a small glimpse into what these missions are for.
Why is SpaceX being awarded most of these launch contracts?
There are a few factors under consideration when awarding launch contracts, but the two main ones are launch vehicles or capabilities and location. Back in April, for example, the United Launch Alliance was only awarded a handful of the missions because the company’s launch pad for its heavy Vulcan rocket was still under construction. ULA was not certified for West Coast launches, and the order went to SpaceX by default. Currently, SpaceX launches from Florida and California, and while it is working on Starship, which may have bigger problems than its launch, it still has other viable equipment like Falcon Heavy.
Interestingly, while Blue Origin did win orders in April, it’s not yet certified for military launches. Back in 2020, NASA selected Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, and Dynetics to help it get to the moon. After that, NASA also worked with SpaceX to launch a new mission for mapping space weather. However, Blue Origin was not eligible for the current round of military launches — it may be ready for the batches in 2027. That is another reason why SpaceX has been awarded many orders, as it meets the vehicle requirements and location launch opportunities. Before companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin, ULA was the sole and primary launch provider for the Pentagon and related government programs. Things have changed in recent years, though.
