Space Force awards $13.7B in launch contracts; SpaceX and Blue Origin take the bulk

On April 4, 2025, the U.S. Space Force awarded National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 Lane 2 contracts worth approximately $13.7 billion, covering an anticipated 54 launches over five years. SpaceX received the largest share — about 60 percent, or 28 missions — followed by United Launch Alliance (40 percent, 19 missions) and Blue Origin (7 missions). The awards are competitively bid and reflect SpaceX's standing as the dominant U.S. launch provider; they are a measure of the scale of federal money flowing to the launch companies of Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos rather than evidence of a rigged procurement. The same federal-contract relationship also gives the president leverage over a major donor: after Musk and Trump fell out publicly in mid-2025, the White House was reported to have directed the Pentagon and NASA to review SpaceX's federal contracts.