SpaceX Gets $714 Million Pentagon Contract, Elon Musk's Firm To Control US Military Launches Till 2027

SpaceX, under the leadership of Elon Musk, was selected to carry out five of the seven critical missions up for grabs in the upcoming fiscal year. These contracts, worth a total of $714 million, underscore

the company's position as the Pentagon’s preferred launch provider, Space News and Air & Space Forces reported. Blue Origin was excluded from the current awards due to its New Glenn rocket lacking required military certification for classified satellite launches. United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture between aerospace giants Boeing and Lockheed Martin, secured the remaining two missions, earning $428 million for its efforts."Space is the ultimate high ground, critical for our national security," said Col Eric Zarybnisky of the U.S. Space Systems Command, per Air & Space Forces. "Delivering assets to the warfighter is our ultimate mission, and we rely on strong government-industry partnerships to achieve that goal."The awards are part of the Space Force's National Security Space Launch Program, which it uses to launch services for military space missions. In April, it chose SpaceX, ULA, and Blue Origin to launch a total of 54 missions scheduled between fiscal 2027 and 2032, with SpaceX responsible for just over half, with 28 launches. Individual missions will be awarded in batches through fiscal 2029, according to the report.SpaceX's missions include launching a communication satellite, three classified payloads, and a reconnaissance satellite, with launches expected in 2027 due to the Space Force's two-year advance planning.Meanwhile, Blue Origin's next opportunity will come in fiscal 2027.