US Space Force hands SpaceX five of seven national security launch missions
(MENAFN) The US Space Force has assigned SpaceX five of the seven national security launch missions scheduled for fiscal year 2026, reinforcing the company’s leading position in the Pentagon’s most demanding spaceflight program, according to reports.
United Launch Alliance (ULA) will conduct the remaining two missions. Blue Origin, still awaiting certification for its New Glenn rocket, was again excluded and is not expected to carry a US national security payload before fiscal 2027, as stated by Space Systems Command.
These launches fall under the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 Lane 2 contract, a multi-billion-dollar program managing the military’s most complex missions through 2029.
SpaceX’s contract, valued at $714 million, includes the USSF-206 flight carrying Boeing’s 12th Wideband Global Satcom satellite, three classified Space Force payloads, and the NROL-86 reconnaissance mission. ULA will receive $428 million for two missions: USSF-88 with a GPS III Follow-on satellite and the NROL-88 reconnaissance payload.
Blue Origin was selected last year to compete in Phase 3 alongside SpaceX and ULA, but its New Glenn rocket has yet to be certified. A NASA Mars mission later this year is expected to advance certification, with the company’s first national security launch opportunity projected for fiscal 2027.
The Phase 3 Lane 2 initiative is valued at roughly $13.7 billion for approximately 54 missions scheduled between fiscal years 2025 and 2029. Actual launches are planned from 2027 to 2032, allowing participating companies about two years to integrate and prepare their payloads.
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