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Space

SpaceX Secures New Contracts Worth $733.5 Million For National Security Space Missions (spacenews.com) 39

Posted by BeauHD from the clean-sweep dept.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Space News: SpaceX has been awarded contracts for eight launches under the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 Lane 1 program, the U.S. Space Force's Space Systems Command announced Oct. 18. The contracts worth $733.5 million span seven missions for the Space Development Agency (SDA) and one for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) projected to launch in 2026. These are part of the NSSL Phase 3 procurement of launch services for U.S. defense and intelligence agencies.

The NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 program is structured as an Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract, a flexible procurement method often used in government contracting. The total value of the Lane 1 contract is estimated at $5.6 billion over five years, with Blue Origin, SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance (ULA) selected as the primary vendors to compete for individual task orders. The Space Development Agency is utilizing SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket to launch small satellites into a low-Earth orbit (LEO) constellation, a network of satellites designed to enhance military communications and intelligence capabilities. SpaceX has already completed two successful launches for the Tranche 0 portion of SDA's constellation.

"The Phase 3 Lane 1 construct allows us to execute launch services more quickly for risk-tolerant payloads, putting more capabilities in orbit faster to support national security," said Brig. Gen. Kristin Panzenhagen, program executive officer for Assured Access to Space at the Space Force. Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket has yet to perform its first launch and will need to complete at least two successful flights to qualify for NSSL certification, while ULA's Vulcan Centaur, which has completed two flights, is still awaiting final certification for the program.
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SpaceX Secures New Contracts Worth $733.5 Million For National Security Space Missions More

SpaceX Secures New Contracts Worth $733.5 Million For National Security Space Missions

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  • $700 million?! (Score:4, Funny)

    by greytree ( 7124971 ) on Saturday October 19, 2024 @03:39AM (#64876701)
    $700 million?!

    That's an awful lot of money.

    Why, you could buy a third of a mobile launcher for that, or a sixth of a single SLS launch.

    • Re: (Score:1, Informative)

      by geekmux ( 1040042 )

      $700 million?! That's an awful lot of money. Why, you could buy a third of a mobile launcher for that, or a sixth of a single SLS launch.

      I guess we’ll just forget about the $700 billion spent across two decades of R&D to get to that $700 million dollar multi-launch price point. Doesn’t fit a narrative punch line so well.

      • I think the person you replied to was being sarcastic. Or maybe not, Poe's law.

        • I'm in favor of new companies building rockets, doing space launches and doing them tens of percent cheaper than NASA and the old-school cold war defense contractors.

          Competition in this area is much needed to fight back against 70 years of cold-war / post-cold war entrenched overspending by government and perpetuated bureaucracies.

          Once there is a money gravy train for decades, both the government and suppliers 'optimize' the system to maximize the amount of money changing hands to the detriment of taxpayers

          • Re: (Score:1)

            by gtall ( 79522 )

            They are only tens of percent cheaper because NASA did all the hard work for them.

            Anyhow, all Elmo is now is a new defense contractor.

            "Once there is a money gravy train for decades, both the government and suppliers 'optimize' the system to maximize the amount of money changing hands to the detriment of taxpayers."

            No, why do you think budgets are fought tooth and nail? And how many companies do you think can be stood up to perform that kind of work. Hell, I'll bet you could stand up a new one in, what, an

            • They are only tens of percent cheaper because NASA did all the hard work for them.

              Mind elaborating a bit on that nonsense? Elons not exactly running off to the moon with an Apollo knock-off, or landing orbit-limited copycat spacecraft with wings on runways. He’s spent plenty over the last two decades of SpaceX development to even get to this point of space contracts. And has plans far beyond worrying how we’re going to infect space with fucking warmongering.

              Beating Government pricing isn’t hard. It’s fucking trivial when the ingredient list doesn’t read

              • They are only tens of percent cheaper because NASA did all the hard work for them.

                Mind elaborating a bit on that nonsense? Elons not exactly running off to the moon with an Apollo knock-off, or landing orbit-limited copycat spacecraft with wings on runways. He’s spent plenty over the last two decades of SpaceX development to even get to this point of space contracts. And has plans far beyond worrying how we’re going to infect space with fucking warmongering.

                Beating Government pricing isn’t hard. It’s fucking trivial when the ingredient list doesn’t read “87% pork fat by volume.”

                Elon Musk can do no right in some circles. I'm amazed by the progress of SpaceX, especially when most of the people claiming SpaceX has done absolutely nothing new were the same yahoos proclaiming that landing the boosters was absolutely impossible and even if it were possible would be too cost prohibitive to ever be worth doing.

                I don't like the dude's politics, nor his tendency to ramble publicly about shit that most high-dollar individuals would be smart enough to keep to themselves, but SpaceX, or someth

    • For the military and the three letter agencies, that's peanuts.

      Remember: they don't have to be frugal because it's your money they're spending, not theirs.

    • Re:$700 million?! (Score:4, Insightful)

      by cusco ( 717999 ) <brian@bixby.gmail@com> on Saturday October 19, 2024 @08:53AM (#64877091)

      This is why we can't have nice things.

      2024 Space Farce budget - $30 billion
      2024 NASA budget - $24 billion

      2024 Pentagon budget - $850 billion
      All NASA budgets since creation, combined, including Apollo - $675 billion

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by gtall ( 79522 )

        And the rest of the budget? $6.75 trillion - your $850 Billion = $5.9 Trillion. And just wait until SS and Medicare run out of money because we are not generating sprogs like we used to in order to pay for them. Suddenly, those immigrants working to pay your Grandmother's SS and Medicare start looking like a good investment. Or she can come and live with you. Save your pennies, her meds are not cheap.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by cusco ( 717999 )

          Social Security and Medicare are not budget items, nor is interest on the debt (most of which was run up by military spending).

          (My grandmother's been dead for most of two decades, I'm almost old enough to be in the age group you're referring to.)

  • Maybe the US mil should pause payment on all SpaceX expenditures until Musk stops letting Russia use Starlink to attack Ukraine. Starlink terminals have been found on downed Shahed drones. Russia is trafficking in Starlink terminals purchased by unscrupulous third-parties in other countries, but then SpaceX is failing to deactivate them when used in Russia and Ukraine. This is because Musk, Trump, and Putin are on the same team.. and it isn't the patriotic American one.
  • Elon Musk is a hateful, creepy man.

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