The Pentagon has announced the first set of winners in its rocket launch contract competition, with Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin securing a spot for the first time.
What Happened: The contracts were awarded under the Pentagon’s $5.6 billion National Security Space Launch program, reported CNBC on Thursday. Elon Musk‘s SpaceX and United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) and Boeing (NYSE:BA), were also awarded contracts under the multi-year third phase of the NSSL program.
These companies will now be eligible to compete for contracts until mid-2029 under the program, known as NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1.
SpaceX and ULA have been competing for contracts under the previous Phase 2 edition of NSSL. Over five years of Phase 2 launch orders, the military assigned ULA with 26 missions worth $3.1 billion, while SpaceX got 22 missions worth $2.5 billion.
Why It Matters: This announcement comes on the heels of Blue Origin’s recent milestone. In May, the company successfully launched its first crew to suborbital space, including the oldest person to travel to space, marking a significant achievement in the space tourism sector.
Meanwhile, SpaceX, under the leadership of Elon Musk, has been in the news for various reasons. The company’s competitor Boeing recently made a significant move in the space sector, and Musk publicly wished them luck. However, SpaceX has also been embroiled in controversy, with former employees filing a sexual harassment lawsuit against Musk.
It is important to note that the space sector is witnessing intense competition, with China accusing rival nations of espionage attempts in its space sector, highlighting the strategic importance of space in geopolitical competition.
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This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Kaustubh Bagalkote
