SpaceX launches a Falcon Heavy mission for the U.S. Space Force on Jan. 15, 2023. Photo: SpaceX

The U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC) last Friday awarded SpaceX task orders worth $733.6 million to launch spacecraft for the Space Development Agency (SDA) and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) under the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program.

The orders are first under Phase 3 Lane 1 of NSSL for which Blue Origin and United Launch Alliance (ULA) are also eligible to compete.

For SDA, SpaceX will provide seven launches for the agency’s Tranche 2 Transport Layer constellation, slated to begin rocketing into Low-Earth Orbit in fall 2026. The Transport Layer enables satellite-based mesh data network interconnected through optical terminals.

The second task order will support an NRO mission set that will be launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., into orbit during the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2025 and the fourth quarter of FY ’26, SSC said.

“The Phase 3 Lane 1 construct allows us to execute launch services more quickly for more risk-tolerant payloads, putting more capabilities on orbit faster in order to support national security,” Brig. Gen. Kristin Panzenhagen, program executive officer at SSC for Assured Access to Space, said in a statement.

SSC said the next chance for additional launch providers to get into the Lane 1 indefinite delivery, indefinite-quantity contract will be later this year. The command plans to release requests for proposals for several more task orders during the third quarter of FY ’25.

Under Phase 3 Lane 1, SSC plans to spend up to $5.6 billion for at least 30 missions to be launched through FY ’29. The contract has a five-year option period.

This story was first published by Defense Daily