SpaceX wins $733 million Space Force launch contract

SpaceX on Friday received a $733 million contract for eight launches from the U.S. Space Force as a part of an ongoing program geared toward fostering competition amongst providers of services that launch rockets into orbit.

The award includes seven launches for the Space Development Agency and one for the National Reconnaissance Office, all of which is able to happen using Falcon 9 and can occur no sooner than 2026.

The massive recent contract is a component of the U.S. Space Systems Command (SSC) program and has the catchy name “National Security Space Launch, Phase 3, Runway 1.” Last yr, the third round of contracts was divided into two lanes: Lane 1, for lower-risk missions and low-Earth orbits; and runway 2 for missions with heavy payloads and more demanding orbits.

The Space Force chosen SpaceX, United Launch Alliance and (in some way, although they have not yet reached orbit) Blue Origin, to compete for Lane 1 launches earlier this summer. The Space Force acknowledged on the time that the sphere of winners was small, but intended to cope with that by allowing corporations to bid annually on Lane 1. The next opportunity to affix Lane 1, which has a complete expected value of $5.6 billion over five years, can have place later in 2024.

In a press release announcing the contract, Lt. Col. Douglas Downs, SSC’s procurement leader for space launch procurement, said the force expects “increasing competition and diversity” with the flexibility to amass recent suppliers.

The award period for Stage 3 Track 1 awards runs from fiscal yr 2025 through fiscal yr 2029, with an option for a five-year extension. The Space Force expects to award a minimum of 30 missions during this era. SpaceX’s victory this time could appear a foregone conclusion, but with recent rocket launch corporations and vehicles coming online over the subsequent few years, competition could soon heat up.