Pentagon Awards $5.6B National Security Space Launch Contracts to Blue Origin, SpaceX, and ULA

Pentagon announced recipients for NSSL program with Blue Origin, SpaceX and United Launch Alliance 

The Pentagon has announced the first recipients of its $5.6 billion National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program, with Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin joining Elon Musk's SpaceX and United Launch Alliance (ULA) for the first time. These companies will compete for contracts through mid-2029 under Phase 3 of the program, which is expected to include 90 rocket launch orders. CNBC reports that:

In the NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1, Blue Origin, SpaceX, and ULA will be eligible to compete for contracts until mid-2029. ULA and SpaceX were already competing under the previous Phase 2 of the NSSL program. Over five years of Phase 2 launch orders, the military awarded ULA 26 missions worth $3.1 billion and SpaceX 22 missions worth $2.5 billion. Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman missed out on Phase 2 when the Pentagon selected ULA and SpaceX in August 2020. However, with Phase 3, the U.S. military is expanding the competition for Space Force mission contracts. Phase 3 will feature 90 rocket launch orders divided into categories Lane 1 and Lane 2, allowing more companies to participate in the bidding process.