Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

(NASDAQ:SPCX) has secured contracts worth $1.6 billion from the United States Space Force (USSF) as part of the agency's National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program. 18 Falcon 9 Rocket Launches According to an official statement released by the agency on Wednesday, the commercial space flight company will carry out 18 launches of its Falcon 9 rocket through the NSSL Phase 3, Lane 1.

The launches, part of the agency's Space Based Sensing and Targeting (SBST) portfolio, will blast off from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base and will be completed by the end of 2027.

Read Also: Gary Black Pegs TSLA's Fair Value at $312, Says 'Don't Fall in Love With the Stock' Elon Musk Touts $100/kg Cost, Mars Touchdown SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, in response to investment firm ARK Invest's Brett Winton, who pushed back against heat shield criticism, said that heat shield costs would "drop well below $100/kg to orbit for Starship" if the rocket can achieve "immediate & complete reusability" with local production of Methane gas (CH4) and Oxygen.

The cost would drop well below $100/kg to orbit for Starship if it achieves immediate & complete reusability, with local production of liquid CH4 & O2— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 29, 2026 Earlier, Musk had hailed SpaceX's 13th launch test of the Starship rocket, saying that the company had intentionally accelerated the rocket during its launch to test its heat shield capabilities.