The U.S. Space Force has awarded SpaceX, led by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, five of seven critical national security launch missions for the upcoming fiscal year, valued at $714 million.
The contracts, part of the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Program, solidify SpaceX’s dominance in U.S. military space operations, despite recent public tensions between Musk and President Donald Trump.
The remaining two missions went to United Launch Alliance (ULA) for $428 million, while Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin once again missed out, underscoring the company’s lag in the competitive military space launch sector.
“Space is the ultimate high ground, critical for our national security,” said Col. Eric Zarybnisky of the U.S. Space Systems Command. “Delivering assets to the warfighter is our ultimate mission, and we rely on strong government–industry partnerships to achieve that goal.”
SpaceX’s assignments include the launch of:
- One military communications satellite
- Three classified payloads
- One reconnaissance satellite
All missions are scheduled to launch in 2027, in line with the Space Force’s two-year advance planning timeline.
ULA’s two contracts, though fewer in number, command a higher price tag per mission — reflecting the company’s reliance on legacy heavy-lift rockets.
The awards fall under the broader NSSL Phase 3 programme, which previously selected SpaceX, ULA, and Blue Origin to compete for 54 missions worth $13.5 billion between 2027 and 2032.
While SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy remains the military’s workhorse for heavy payloads, Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket has yet to be certified for NSSL launches — a key barrier to winning contracts.
Blue Origin’s next opportunity to secure NSSL missions will be in fiscal year 2027. The company hopes that its upcoming NASA Mars mission, which has faced delays since 2024 but could launch by the end of this month, will help accelerate New Glenn’s certification.
Until then, SpaceX continues to extend its lead, buoyed by a proven launch record, lower costs, and growing Pentagon trust.
The latest awards reaffirm SpaceX’s central role in U.S. national security operations, with its rockets tasked to deliver critical intelligence and defence assets into orbit.
Meanwhile, ULA maintains a foothold through strategic partnerships, while Blue Origin faces increasing pressure to deliver on its long-promised capabilities or risk falling further behind in the high-stakes military space race.
Click the link Puretvonline.com | WhatsApp Channel to join the WhatsApp channel
GOT A STORY?
Contact/WhatsApp: +233243201960 or manuelnkansah33@gmail.com