Space Force books 18 Falcon 9 launches in $1.6 billion order

SpaceX won two task orders covering 18 Falcon 9 launches from Vandenberg through 2027, the largest disclosed batch under the military's Phase 3 program.

The U.S. Space Force has awarded SpaceX two launch task orders worth a combined $1.6 billion, covering 18 Falcon 9 launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California through the end of 2027. The launches support the Space Based Sensing and Targeting portfolio, and the batch is the largest publicly disclosed set of missions under the National Security Space Launch Phase 3 program. The orders fall under Lane 1, a commercial-style procurement route for lower-risk national security missions.

The scale is significant. Eighteen launches by the end of 2027 works out to roughly one mission per month from a single site. SpaceX already holds a $2.29 billion contract for the Space Data Network Backbone and a $4.16 billion contract for a moving-target indicator system. Earlier in the month the Space Force raised the Lane 1 contract ceiling to $17 billion from $5.6 billion, and seven companies now hold positions on that vehicle.

The throughput matters for abundance. When orbital access is cheap and repeatable, the cost of putting up sensing, tracking and communications constellations falls, and the infrastructure that rides on top of them becomes more affordable to build and expand. A monthly cadence treats launch as routine plumbing rather than a rare event.

Watch whether the cadence holds. Officials note the schedule depends on when satellites are actually delivered, so the monthly rhythm is a target, not a guarantee. The acquisition itself moved quickly, reportedly about two months from requirement to award.

Source: SpaceNews