SpaceX, ULA, and Blue Origin Secure $13.5 Billion Contracts with the Pentagon

In the United States, the Pentagon has decided to propel its military space launch program. Dozens of contracts have indeed been awarded to three large companies in the industry: Elon Musk SpaceX, United Launch Alliance (ULA) and Blue Origin by Jeff Bezos.

SpaceX domination over sharing space launches in figures

With this well -loaded program of the National Security Space Launch, the US military reaffirms the strategic importance of space. The three key players in industry, SpaceX, ULA and Blue Origin will be responsible for guaranteeing continuous access to space.

Unsurprisingly, SpaceX was given most of the space launches. Elon Musk's aerospace company has actually signed 28 contracts with a total value of $ 5.9 billion.

United Launch Alliance (ULA), the joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, won 19 missions for $ 5.3 billion. As for Blue Origin, the company founded by Jeff Bezos of Amazon, it will be responsible for 7 missions worth 2.3 billion dollars.

A major challenge for Blue Origin in the face of SpaceX and Ula experience

The National Security Space Launch is the most competitive and lucrative program of American launches. The Pentagon therefore entrusts the success of its program to these three companies considered as the first suppliers of American rockets, even if Blue Origin has the least experience of the three.

Compared to SpaceX and ULA, Blue Origin has only a successful launch to its credit. His new Glenn rocket took off for the first time in January. The heavy launcher managed to deploy its payload, the Blue Ring prototype, on an average terrestrial orbit.

The majority of missions will be allocated to SpaceX the first year

With its Falcon 9 rocket, SpaceX is the most active aerospace company in the world in terms of launches. She has already accomplished dozens of military space missions in recent years.

Elon Musk's company plans to use Falcon 9 as well as Falcon Heavy, its super heavy launcher, for the missions of phase 3 of the National Security Space Launch. These missions will be the most difficult and most expensive in the Pentagon with complex orbits around the earth.

Two sources close to the file have also said that SpaceX will obtain the vast majority of missions. They will be ordered by US Space Force during the first year of the program.

The launching rate of the Falcon 9 rocket of SpaceX is still unequaled

It is not surprising. The rate of launch of the Falcon 9 is much higher than that of the rockets of Ula and Blue Origin. In addition, reusable SpaceX rockets reduce the costs of each space mission.

“Winning 60 % of the missions may seem generous, but the reality is that all the competitors of SpaceX united cannot currently provide the remaining 40 %! I hope they will succeed, but they are not there yet, ”says Elon Musk on X (formerly Twitter).