A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches a National Security Space Launch (NSSL) mission to deliver 21 Space Development Agency (SDA) data transport Trance 1 (T1) space vehicles to orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E), Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, July 16, 2026. Credit: SpaceX
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force has more than tripled the ceiling of a major national security launch contract to $17 billion as the military prepares for a sharp increase in satellite missions.
The Space Force raised the maximum value of the National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1 contract vehicle from $5.6 billion to $17 billion, according to a July 17 notice. The increase substantially expands the amount the service can spend on launch task orders competed among seven companies through fiscal 2029.
The higher ceiling sets the maximum cumulative value of task orders that can be placed under the Lane 1 contracts. Providers must compete for individual missions and meet applicable flight-readiness requirements before they are eligible to bid.
The seven companies in the Lane 1 vendor pool are SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, Blue Origin, Rocket Lab, Stoke Space, Impulse Space and Relativity Space.
