The US Space Force awards SpaceX major contracts for military space operations

The Space Force, established on December 20, 2019 as a new branch of the U.S. military, announced on October 18 the award to SpaceX of two launch contracts under the NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1, worth a total of $733 million. These contracts provide for a total of eight launches, seven of which went to the Space Development Agency (SDA) and one to the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).

The seven launches assigned to the SDA will be used to put it into orbit the satellites of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) constellation. This network of low-Earth orbit satellites is designed to provide advanced tracking, communications and intelligence capabilities to the military Americans. The constellation is divided into several functional “layers”, including:

Transport Layer: composed of hundreds of satellites that will guarantee persistent communications to the armed forces.

Tracking Layer: a series of satellites dedicated to monitoring intercontinental ballistic missile launches and, above all, new hypersonic weapons, capable of traveling at speeds exceeding Mach 5 and escaping the sensors of traditional geostationary satellites.

The United States is intensifying its efforts to maintain and consolidate space supremacy by identifying space as its operational domain. For the past five years, the Space Force and its members, known as “Guardians”, have indeed worked to secure US national interests in space. Under the leadership of Chief of Space Operations General Chance Saltzman, the Space Force has seen rapid expansion, with the activation of operational components in several regions of the world, including US Space Forces Indo-Pacific, Space Forces Korea, Space Forces Central, Space Forces Europe and Africa, and Space Forces Space. These units enable joint space operations with the geographic combatant commands to which they are assigned.

SpaceX’s victory in winning these contracts was largely predictable, given the maturity of its launch systems compared to its competitors. While other companies like Blue Origin and United Launch Alliance (ULA) are still working on certifying their new rockets, SpaceX is ready to begin scheduled launches by the end of 2025.

NSSL Phase 3 was split into two “Lanes” by the Space Force to optimize launch assignment:

Lane 1: intended for the frequent launch of small satellites, with the participation of SpaceX, ULA and Blue Origin.

Lane 2: Focused on launching heavier satellites and into higher orbits, requiring higher performance rockets.