Each autumn, the U.S. Space Force convenes its Mission Assignment Board, a process that determines which companies will be entrusted with launching the nation’s most sensitive and vital satellites. This year’s decisions, announced on October 3, 2025, have reaffirmed SpaceX’s dominance in the world of military space launches, while also highlighting the ongoing competition and hurdles faced by its rivals.
According to Space News and Air & Space Forces, SpaceX, under the leadership of Elon Musk, was selected to carry out five of the seven critical missions up for grabs in the upcoming fiscal year. These contracts, worth a total of $714 million, underscore the company’s position as the Pentagon’s preferred launch provider. United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture between aerospace giants Boeing and Lockheed Martin, secured the remaining two missions, earning $428 million for its efforts. The missions are scheduled for launch in 2027, due to the Space Force’s standard two-year advance planning cycle.
These assignments fall under the National Security Space Launch Program (NSSL), a multi-year initiative that previously selected SpaceX, ULA, and Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin to share 54 missions valued at $13.5 billion, scheduled between 2027 and 2032. The current round of awards, however, left Blue Origin on the sidelines, as its New Glenn rocket has yet to achieve the military certification required for these high-stakes launches.
The missions entrusted to SpaceX are a mix of highly classified and strategic payloads. Specifically, the company will launch a communication satellite, three classified payloads, and a reconnaissance satellite, all vital to maintaining the U.S. military’s global capabilities. As noted by Fast Company, these launches are not expected to occur until at least 2027, but the contracts awarded now ensure that the necessary planning and development can proceed without delay.
Col. Eric Zarybnisky, the program executive officer for Assured Access to Space at the U.S. Space Systems Command, emphasized the critical importance of these missions. “Space is the ultimate high ground, critical for our national security,” Zarybnisky stated, according to Air & Space Forces. “Delivering assets to the warfighter is our ultimate mission, and we rely on strong government-industry partnerships to achieve that goal.” He further added, “With this year’s NSSL Phase 3 Lane 2 mission assignments, we continue to assure access to that high ground.”
The selection of SpaceX as the primary launch provider this year did not come as a surprise to industry watchers. Earlier in April 2025, the Space Force had already signaled its intention to award the majority of future launch contracts to SpaceX, with ULA as the secondary provider and Blue Origin as a potential third option—pending certification. The rationale behind this strategy, as explained by Space Force officials, is to maintain flexibility and ensure reliability. If any provider encounters technical or operational difficulties, the military reserves the right to reassign missions as needed, a safeguard designed to prevent costly delays or failures in national security launches.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets have both established impressive track records over the years, routinely delivering both commercial and government payloads into orbit with high reliability. These successes have made SpaceX a trusted partner for the Pentagon, particularly as the demands of space-based defense and intelligence continue to grow more complex. The company’s ability to launch multiple types of payloads—including those shrouded in secrecy—further cements its reputation as the go-to provider for critical missions.
Meanwhile, ULA continues to play a significant, though secondary, role in the military’s launch plans. The company’s Vulcan rocket, which replaced the venerable Atlas V, made its debut nearly two years ago and successfully completed its first national security mission in August 2025. This achievement demonstrated ULA’s ongoing commitment to reliability and innovation, even as it faces stiff competition from SpaceX’s rapidly evolving fleet.
Blue Origin, the space company founded by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, remains on the outside looking in. Its New Glenn rocket, positioned as a direct competitor to SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy, must complete at least one more successful flight before it can be certified for the Pentagon’s exclusive NSSL missions. Blue Origin’s next opportunity to secure a military launch contract will not come until fiscal year 2027. However, the company’s upcoming NASA Mars mission, which was delayed from 2024 and is now potentially set to launch by the end of October 2025, could help demonstrate the rocket’s capabilities and bring it closer to the coveted certification.
Despite being shut out of this year’s military launch assignments, Blue Origin’s ambitions are far from diminished. The company is actively pushing for a stronger foothold in the competitive space launch market, and its progress is closely watched by both industry insiders and government officials. As noted by Space Systems Command in a statement to SpaceNews, “No missions were assigned to the third provider, Blue Origin, which has its next opportunity for a mission in FY27.” The outcome of the upcoming Mars mission could prove pivotal for Blue Origin’s future in national security launches.
The stakes in this high-tech competition are enormous. The satellites and payloads launched under the NSSL program are essential for a wide range of military operations, from secure communications and surveillance to missile warning and reconnaissance. Maintaining reliable access to space is, as Col. Zarybnisky put it, about ensuring the U.S. retains the “ultimate high ground” in an increasingly contested domain.
The Space Force’s approach—favoring proven providers while keeping the door open for new entrants—reflects the broader realities of the modern space race. The Pentagon’s willingness to shift assignments if a provider falters ensures that national security missions are not left in limbo, even as the industry continues to evolve at a rapid pace. For SpaceX, the latest round of contracts is both a validation of its capabilities and a challenge to maintain its stellar record. For ULA, it’s a reminder that experience and reliability still count for a lot in the eyes of the military. And for Blue Origin, the message is clear: certification and proven performance are non-negotiable prerequisites for joining the exclusive club of national security launch providers.
As the countdown begins for these next-generation launches, all eyes will be on SpaceX, ULA, and Blue Origin to see who rises to the top—and who can keep America’s most critical assets safely soaring above the Earth.
