The US Space Force has awarded SpaceX an order for the amount 1,6 billion dollars to implement 18 Falcon rocket launches 9 in order to deploy military satellite networks. About the signing of two relevant agreements within the framework of the National Security Space Launch program (NSSL) Phase 3 Lane 1 was officially announced 29 July 2026 year.
These launches are intended to put into orbit secret devices of the defense portfolio Space Based Sensing and Targeting (SBST), which will reveal, will monitor and transmit real-time data on air threats (aircraft, cruise missiles and drones).
Main details of the contract
Terms and tempo: All of them 18 missions must be completed to the end 2027 year. This will require the company to maintain a busy schedule, averaging one military launch per month.
Starting place: All missions will launch from the Vandenberg Space Force base in California to launch the satellites into the necessary circumpolar orbits.
Record speed of procurement: According to representatives of the Space Forces, the entire process from the moment of determining the military need to the signing of the contract took a record two months.
This deal was another major step in expanding SpaceX's military portfolio. The total amount of the company's defense contracts is only for 2026 has already exceeded a year 7 billions of dollars. The U.S. Global Missile and Air Defense Shield is currently being deployed, known as the Golden Dome ("Golden Dome"), where Elon Musk's satellites and rockets play a key role.
Despite them, as for the Lane program pool 1 seven commercial companies were admitted (including Blue Origin, ULA, Rocket Lab and more), SpaceX remains the sole supplier, which has the necessary infrastructure on the West Coast, high frequency of flights and Falcon rockets are fully ready for such speeds 9. The main competitors currently cannot resist this dominance: ULA's Vulcan rocket and Blue Origin's New Glenn have temporarily suspended flights due to technical anomalies, that have been investigated since the spring 2026 year.
Source: https://spacenews.com