HAWTHORNE, Calif. — SpaceX has secured $1.6 billion in new U.S. Space Force business, winning two task orders to launch 18 Falcon 9 missions supporting the military's Space Based Sensing and Targeting portfolio through the end of 2027.
Announced by Space Systems Command, the awards fall under the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 Lane 1 framework, a competitive structure that lets commercial providers bid for individual national-security missions. Every one of the 18 flights will lift off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
A Record-Fast Award
Military officials emphasized how quickly the deal came together, describing an "unprecedented" two-month timeline from identifying the requirement to handing out the award — including a one-month window for providers to prepare proposals.
"Sensing and targeting of airborne objects from space and providing near-real-time communications across the Joint Force are vital to the defense of our nation," said Space Force Col. Eric Zarybnisky, acting portfolio acquisition executive for Space Access. "Ultimately, this timeline results in the speed our warfighter demands more than ever before." The cadence is possible because SpaceX has turned Falcon 9 into the most reliable, high-tempo launch vehicle in the world, a workhorse whose record pace has already been on display in back-to-back Starlink missions.
Building on a Banner Year in Defense
The task orders continue a remarkable run of government work for SpaceX. In May, the company won roughly $6.45 billion in Space Force awards tied to missile-warning and tracking constellations, and the latest deal is the first issued since the Space Force raised the NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 ceiling in mid-July. By some counts, SpaceX now holds at least $7 billion in Pentagon contracts this year.
The satellites SpaceX will loft are designed to detect and track airborne threats and relay data across military branches in near real time, capabilities expected to feed into the Trump administration's proposed Golden Dome missile-defense initiative. The steady drumbeat of contracts has strengthened the investment case for the company, which Morgan Stanley recently backed with a bullish price target citing its expanding value.
Why It Matters
For the Pentagon, the appeal is speed and dependability: a launch provider that can move from requirement to orbit faster than traditional procurement allows. For SpaceX, the award deepens its role at the center of U.S. national-security space, adding a predictable stream of Falcon 9 missions on top of its commercial Starlink cadence.
As SpaceNews and other outlets reported on the award, the contract underscores how integral SpaceX has become to America's access to space. With Falcon 9 flying at record rates and Starship advancing toward operational service, SpaceX heads into the back half of 2026 with a defense backlog that keeps its California pads busy well into next year.
