When it comes to commercial launch providers, the U.S. Space Force clearly has a favorite. On Friday, the military branch assigned the majority of its upcoming national security missions to SpaceX, while Blue Origin fell behind pending the conclusion of a rocket certification process.
The Space Force awarded contracts to SpaceX and the United Launch Alliance (ULA) worth more than $1 billion as part of its National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program. SpaceX snagged five of the seven military missions, worth $714 million, while ULA will launch the remaining two, priced at $428 million. Blue Origin, another featured contender, was not eligible to receive missions this time around as the company awaits its New Glenn rocket to become certified.
Ready, set, launch
Earlier in April, the Space Force’s Space System Command announced three companies, SpaceX, ULA, and Blue Origin, as the recipients of its first round of awards for NSSL. The program, meant to procure launch service providers for military missions, includes a total of 54 missions set to launch between 2027 and 2032.
The first batch of missions is scheduled for launch through 2029. Although the majority of payloads on the missions remain classified, the Space Force revealed a few highlights of the upcoming launches. SpaceX’s newly assigned missions include launching the 12th Wideband Global Satcom communications satellite, a satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), as well as three undisclosed payloads. ULA’s upcoming missions include launching a GPS satellite, as well as another NRO payload.
SpaceX is one of the main launch providers for the Space Force, having launched more than a dozen of its payloads over the past few years. Before Elon Musk’s space venture came onto the scene, ULA used to be the primary launch provider for national security missions using its Atlas V, Delta VI Heavy, and Vulcan rockets.
Blue Origin, on the other hand, is relatively new to the game. After several delays, the company’s New Glenn rocket finally took flight on January 16. Its inaugural launch wasn’t a total success; the rocket reached orbit, but its booster was lost during the attempted recovery landing in the Atlantic Ocean. As a result, the rocket is not yet certified to launch Space Force payloads until it completes two successful orbital flights.
New Glenn is scheduled to launch NASA’s ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) mission to Mars later this fall. If all goes well, the company will finally be eligible to enter the running for NSSL launches in the upcoming round in 2027.
SpaceX is expected to receive more than half of the total 54 missions, while ULA is set to launch around 19 of the remaining missions. Blue Origin, pending its certification, can launch up to seven missions.