Pentagon Awards Rocket Launch Contracts to Blue Origin, SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance
WASHINGTON—The Department of Defense has selected Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, Elon Musk’s SpaceX, and Boeing-Lockheed joint venture United Launch Alliance (ULA) to compete for national security space missions. This is part of an initial selection process under a $5.6 billion award program.
The Pentagon did not disclose which rockets from these companies were chosen, but mentioned that seven companies competed for entry into the program. The selected rockets are required to be ready for their first space missions by December.
These three companies are the first to be chosen under the Pentagon’s lucrative National Security Space Launch Phase 3 procurement program. This program involves a competition among U.S. rocket companies to launch military and intelligence satellites into space over the next decade.
SpaceX and ULA have been the primary rocket launch providers for the Pentagon since 2020 under a previous program called Phase 2. However, for Phase 3, the Pentagon aimed to involve a broader range of companies to increase competition in the U.S. launch sector.
This announcement marks the entry of Bezos’ Blue Origin into a competitive field against SpaceX. Blue Origin has long awaited this opportunity as it works on bringing its New Glenn rocket to market and enhancing its competitiveness.
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SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, which is partially reusable, has been a dominant force in the launch industry. Meanwhile, the company is working on test-launching its Starship rocket, an advanced fully reusable system that Elon Musk believes is essential for human spaceflight and satellite launches.
As ULA’s Atlas 5 rocket nears retirement, its new Vulcan rocket is expected to become the company’s primary launcher. The Vulcan had its first launch this year, and its second mission—which is crucial for Pentagon certification—has been delayed but is anticipated to happen later this year.
The three companies have not yet responded to inquiries regarding their rockets’ roles in the Pentagon program.
The Pentagon’s Phase 3 program is divided into two categories, Lane 1 and Lane 2. Lane 1, as announced on Thursday, allows more innovative or specialized rockets to carry out national security missions with less stringent requirements. Lane 2, with awards expected in the fall, will involve three companies with rockets capable of meeting a broader range of national security mission needs, indicating that experienced players like SpaceX and ULA are likely to receive awards.
The U.S. Space Force, responsible for managing the launch procurement program, allocated $5 million to Blue Origin for an assessment of how it will meet launch requirements, and $1.5 million each to SpaceX and ULA, companies with which Space Force is more familiar.
By Joey Roulette
