NewsNovo

Space Force triples rocket contract ceiling as Pentagon eyes $30 billion in launches

7/31/2026

The National Security Space Launch program just got much larger.

The US Space Force raised the maximum value of its Phase 3 contract to $17 billion on Friday, triple the previous $5.6 billion ceiling, with the service's total potential launch spending reaching $30 billion.

Military officials cited rising demand for national security satellite launches as the driver. The case for expansion is easy to state.

Whether the program's pooled-provider structure channels that demand to the right places is the harder question.