Blue Origin, SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance (ULA) were all awarded multibillion-dollar National Security Space Launch contracts by Space Systems Command on April 4 to carry out more than 50 spaceflights over the next four years.
“A robust and resilient space launch architecture is the foundation of both our economic prosperity and our national security,” said U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman in a press release. “National Security Space Launch isn’t just a program; it’s a strategic necessity that delivers the critical space capabilities our warfighters depend on to fight and win.”
The National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program is in the second part, or lane, of its third phase. It will make up 54 of the phase’s 84 anticipated missions from fiscal year 2025 through fiscal year 2029, with launches expected into the 2030s….