The US has awarded SpaceX $733.5 million to launch nine satellites into a low-Earth orbit constellation to enhance military communications and intelligence capabilities.
The deal includes two contracts: the first involves seven missions for the Space Development Agency (SDA) to deploy missile tracking and data relay satellites, while the second entails two missions for the National Reconnaissance Office to operate the government’s spy satellites.
These missions are part of the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 Lane 1 procurement services for the US defense and intelligence agencies.
Kristin Panzenhagen, Program Executive Officer for Assured Access to Space, said that this construct “allows us to execute launch services more quickly for risk-tolerant payloads, putting more capabilities in orbit faster to support national security.”
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The SDA plans to conduct 30 launch missions by 2029 to deploy a proliferated satellite constellation designed to detect and track enemy missiles while providing data to military units to mitigate threats.
To achieve this, the SDA requires medium or small rockets that can be launched frequently, offering capabilities comparable to those of a larger launch vehicle.
The selected technology is SpaceX’s Falcon 9, a two-stage rocket that stands 70 meters (229 feet) tall and is classified as a medium-lift launch vehicle.
The Falcon 9 is partially reusable, allowing the most expensive components of the rocket to be flown again after the initial launch.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets have been launched 381 times, achieving 337 successful missions.
