Elon Musk’s SpaceX has secured a $714 million contract from the U.S. Department of Defense to launch five missions for the U.S. Space Force through 2027, strengthening its position as the Pentagon’s leading commercial launch provider.
According to the U.S. Space Systems Command, the missions fall under the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 Lane 2 program and include a mix of classified payloads and communication satellites. SpaceX will manage three Space Force missions — USSF-155, USSF-149, and USSF-63 — alongside the USSF-206 flight, which will deploy Boeing’s Wideband Global Satcom (WGS-12) satellite. The fifth assignment, NROL-86, will be conducted for the National Reconnaissance Office.
In a statement accompanying the announcement, the Space Systems Command said the missions will “bolster the U.S. military’s communication and surveillance capabilities” and enhance national security infrastructure. The two remaining missions were awarded to United Launch Alliance (ULA), a Boeing–Lockheed Martin joint venture, under a separate $428 million agreement.
Blue Origin, led by Jeff Bezos, was not selected due to its New Glenn rocket’s pending military certification, limiting the competition in the latest round of defense launches.
SpaceX’s continued dominance in the sector reflects its growing technical capacity and cost competitiveness. Musk recently said the company could handle “more than 95 percent of total Earth payload to orbit by weight” once its next-generation Starship rocket begins regular missions. The heavy-lift vehicle remains in testing at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Texas.
Source: Drive Tesla Canada