SpaceX awarded $1.6 billion US Space Force contract for 18 Falcon 9 launches
The U.S. Space Force has awarded SpaceX two task orders worth $1.6 billion for 18 Falcon 9 launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base through the end of 2027. The award is part of the National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1 program and will place satellites in the Space Based Sensing and Targeting portfolio, designed to detect, track and target airborne threats and relay near‑real‑time data to U.S. military forces. The contracts bring SpaceX’s Pentagon business this year to at least $7 billion, adding to earlier $4.16 billion and $2.29 billion contracts for airborne moving‑target indicator and communications constellations that feed the Golden Dome missile‑defense initiative. The procurement was completed in an unprecedented two‑month acquisition timeline, according to Space Force acquisition official Eric Zarybnisky. Lawmakers have voiced concerns about the Department of Defense’s heavy reliance on a single launch provider, while competitors United Launch Alliance and Blue Origin face technical setbacks with their Vulcan and New Glenn rockets.
Entities: All Points Logistics · Côte d’Ivoire · Djibril Ouattara · Eric Zarybnisky · Falcon 9 · Golden Dome missile defense program · Golden Dome missile‑defense initiative · National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1 · SpaceX · Starlink · U.S. Space Force · United States Space Force
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 11 SOURCES] The contract is under the National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1 program, involving two task orders. (all)
- [● 11 SOURCES] The contract covers 18 Falcon 9 launches through 2027. (all)
- [● 11 SOURCES] The launches will carry Pentagon satellites designed to detect and track airborne objects. (all)
- [● 7 SOURCES] SpaceX has secured at least $7 billion in Pentagon contracts this year. (all)
- [● 7 SOURCES] U.S. lawmakers have expressed concern about reliance on a single launch provider for defense missions. (all)
- [● 7 SOURCES] The contract supports the Pentagon’s Golden Dome missile‑defense initiative. (all)
- [● 11 SOURCES] SpaceX was awarded a contract worth $1.6 billion by the U.S. Space Force. (all)