Washington: The US Space Force has allocated five out of seven national security launch missions for fiscal year 2026 to SpaceX, reinforcing the company's prominent role in the Pentagon's most challenging spaceflight operations.

According to Anadolu Agency, United Launch Alliance (ULA) will manage the remaining two missions. Meanwhile, Blue Origin, which is still awaiting certification for its New Glenn rocket, has been excluded from these assignments and is not anticipated to handle a US national security payload until fiscal 2027, as confirmed by Space Systems Command last Friday.

These assignments are part of the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 Lane 2 contract, a substantial multi-billion-dollar agreement encompassing the military's most intricate launches through 2029. SpaceX secured a $714 million package that covers the USSF-206 flight featuring Boeing's 12th Wideband Global Satcom satellite, three undisclosed Space Force payloads, and the NROL-86 reconnaissance mission.

ULA has been awarded $428 million for its two missions: USSF-88, which will carry a GPS III Follow-on satellite, and the NROL-88 spy payload. Although Blue Origin was selected last year to compete in Phase 3 alongside SpaceX and ULA, it has yet to launch New Glenn. A NASA Mars mission scheduled for this fall is expected to facilitate its certification, with the earliest national security launch opportunity anticipated for fiscal 2027.

The Phase 3 Lane 2 program holds an estimated value of approximately $13.7 billion, covering around 54 missions between fiscal years 2025 and 2029. Actual launches are planned from 2027 to 2032, thereby providing companies roughly two years to integrate and prepare payloads.