A SpaceX Falcon Heavy launched the USSF-52 mission to orbit in December 2023. Photo: Space Force

U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command (SSC) awarded Elon Musk’s SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin nearly $14 billion in National Security Space Launch (NSSL) contracts on Friday.

SSC said that the Phase 3, Lane 2 NSSL firm fixed price awards have ceilings of more than $5.9 billion for SpaceX, more than $5.3 billion for ULA, and nearly $2.4 billion for Blue Origin.

SpaceX is expected to receive task orders for 28 of the expected 54 Phase 3, Lane 2 missions; ULA 19; and Blue Origin seven.

The new contract awards illustrate yet again how the once-upstart SpaceX, which had trouble gaining traction with the Department of the Air Force for the company’s Falcon 9 rocket, has taken over the launch market, including the military launches once provided by ULA.

“The overall NSSL Phase 3 mission manifest has almost doubled compared to Phase 2, with an anticipated 84 missions being awarded from FY25 through FY29,” SSC said. “The increased manifest enabled the program to use the dual-lane acquisition strategy, creating the most cost and time efficient solutions for NSSL launch. Phase 3 has been able to split the manifest into the commercial-like Lane 1 missions (approximately 30 missions), and Lane 2 (approximately 54 missions) which will secure assured access and the highest reliability for our most demanding, least risk-tolerant payloads.”

Last week, SSC awarded Rocket Lab and Stoke Space Technologies up to $5.6 billion for NSSL Phase 3, Lane 1.

This story was first published by Defense Daily