SpaceX is moving into the next phase of its national security work as the U.S. military prepares to loft a fresh batch of missile warning and tracking satellites for the Space Development Agency. The upcoming missions will extend a proliferated constellation in low Earth orbit that is designed to spot and track advanced missile threats in real time and feed data directly to warfighters. As the launch cadence ramps up, the program is also becoming a test case for how the Pentagon uses commercial-style contracts to buy access to space at scale.
The new flights sit inside a broader wave of awards under the National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1 framework, which leans on commercial launch providers rather than bespoke government rockets. SpaceX has emerged as the dominant player in this lane, securing a multibillion dollar share of missions that include missile defense payloads, intelligence satellites and experimental constellations.
How NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 put SpaceX in the driver’s seat
The U.S. Space Force structured National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1 to tap commercial rockets for missions that do not require the most demanding performance or unique orbits. Space Systems Command, often shortened to SSC, used this lane to award a cluster of task orders that cover missile warning, missile tracking and related payloads, effectively turning Falcon 9 into a workhorse for national security launches. Officials described how SSC made the launch awards under the National Security Space Phase 3 Lane 1 program, which is explicitly designed to acquire commercial launch services.
Within that framework, Space Systems Command Awards Task Orders to Launch Missile Warning and Missile Tracking Space as part of a portfolio that also supports an NRO mission set and other classified payloads. The command said it had awarded nine National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1 launches aimed at improving missile warning and tracking capabilities, underscoring how central this lane has become to the Pentagon’s deterrence posture. According to the description of the Space Systems Command, these missions are scheduled to stretch into the latter part of the decade, giving SpaceX a long runway of government work.
The SDA-2 and SDA-3 packages: building out the Tracking Layer
At the heart of the new wave of launches are the SDA-2 and SDA-3 task orders, which focus on deploying the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 2 Tracking Layer satellites. Under the SDA-2 task order, SpaceX will perform two launches that will carry 18 of SDA’s Tranche 2 Tracking Layer satellites built by L3Harris, expanding the missile tracking network in low Earth orbit. The same package of awards notes that these launches are part of a broader set of USSF Task Orders for NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 Launches, which together are valued at $739 million and cover multiple missions.
A second package, labeled SDA-3, adds two more launches that will place another 18 Tracking Layer satellites made by Lockheed Martin into orbit, further thickening the constellation’s coverage. Reporting on the missile warning and tracking effort explains that this SDA package is part of a broader set of missions supporting the United States US Space Command, with the SDA-3 launches specifically tied to the Tracking Layer satellites built by Lockheed Martin. Together, SDA-2 and SDA-3 will put 36 new spacecraft into orbit and mark a significant step toward an operational missile tracking web.
Missile defense stakes and the F2 demonstration in low Earth orbit
The missile tracking satellites that SpaceX is preparing to launch are part of a broader shift toward proliferated constellations in low Earth orbit, where large numbers of smaller spacecraft can provide resilience against attack. The U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command, or SSC, highlighted that the F2 mission is an eight-satellite low Earth orbit demonstration constellation intended to provide missile defense capabilities and inform future architectures. Officials described the F2 mission as a way to test new approaches to schedule efficiency and cost control, with the eight-satellite Earth orbit constellation serving as a pathfinder for larger operational layers.
These efforts are nested inside a larger set of nine National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1 launches that Space Force leaders say are aimed at improving missile warning and missile tracking capabilities by the end of the decade. The U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command, or SSC, has said that the missions awarded under this construct are expected to launch through about the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2027, giving planners time to integrate lessons from F2 into the SDA Tracking Layer. The description of the Space Force awards makes clear that missile defense is the central driver for these launches, with the SDA satellites forming a key part of that architecture.
Commercial-style buying and SpaceX’s $739 million role
Financially, the new SDA launches are part of a larger package that cements SpaceX’s role as the primary commercial provider for Lane 1. SpaceX Secures $739M in USSF Task Orders for NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 Launches, a figure that covers the SDA-2 missions, SDA-3 missions and several other payloads under a $5.6 billion umbrella contract. The task orders specify that, under the SDA-2 task order, SpaceX will conduct two launches for 18 Tranche 2 Tracking Layer satellites and that future missions will be competed through annual task order competitions, reinforcing the commercial flavor of the arrangement. The description of how Under the SDA task orders the company will fly these satellites shows how the Pentagon is trying to keep pricing pressure on providers even as it leans heavily on a single firm.
Separate reporting on the same awards notes that SpaceX Lands $739M Deal for U.S. Missile Defense Launches, describing how the company will use Falcon 9 rockets to carry both L3Harris and Lockheed Martin spacecraft into low Earth orbit. The coverage emphasizes that the $739 million figure is tied to a set of missile defense launches, including the SDA-2 and SDA-3 missions that will deploy Tracking Layer satellites built by Lockheed Martin and other contractors. By structuring the work as a Deal for Missile Defense Launches, the government is signaling that it sees missile warning and tracking as a core mission for commercial launch providers rather than a niche sideline.
Launch cadence, Vandenberg role and lessons from Tranche 1
Operationally, the next wave of SDA launches will lean heavily on SpaceX’s West Coast infrastructure, particularly Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The base is already busy with Upcoming Vandenberg SFB Launches, including a Starlink Group mission scheduled for Jan 21 at 6:43pm PST on a Falcon 9 Block 5, and the SDA missions are expected to slot into a similar cadence. The listing of Upcoming Vandenberg SFB underscores how Falcon rockets are being used to support both commercial broadband constellations and national security payloads from the same pads, a key part of the cost savings that Lane 1 is meant to capture.
The Space Development Agency is also drawing on experience from its earlier Tranche 1 launches, which began to put the first operational satellites into orbit for missile tracking and data transport. Agency leaders have described how the Tranche 1 architecture uses Link 16 connectivity to extend tactical networks far beyond their traditional range, explaining that, “Now you’re able to talk, not only to within a couple hundred miles from where your Link 16 radios” normally reach, but across much larger theaters using space relays. That description of how Now Link 16 is extended through space shows why the Tracking Layer is so central to future missile defense, since it will feed data directly into the same networks that fighter pilots and air defense crews already use.
SpaceX’s dominance and what it means for future competition
Strategically, SpaceX’s sweep of the latest Lane 1 awards raises questions about how much room is left for other launch providers in the near term. Coverage of the awards notes that SpaceX Sweeps Another Round of Space Force Launch Orders, with a Falcon 9 rocket blasting off from Vandenberg Space Force Base as a visual reminder of the company’s head start in reusable launch. The description of that Falcon launch highlights how the same vehicle family is now entrusted with everything from Starlink to SDA Tracking Layer satellites built by Lockheed Martin.
Officials have framed the awards as part of SpaceX Sweeps Another Round of Space Force’s More Commercial-Like Launch Orders, a phrase that captures the shift toward buying launches in a way that resembles how the government buys airline tickets rather than custom-built rockets. The Space Forc leadership has argued that this approach, which they describe as More Commercial, Like Launch Orders, is already delivering lower prices and higher cadence for satellites in low Earth orbit. The description of how Sweeps Another Round contracts went to SpaceX underscores the tension between cost savings and the desire for a more diverse industrial base.
Timelines, contract structure and the road to full operations
Looking ahead, the SDA-2 missions that will carry the next wave of missile tracking satellites are projected to begin launching in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2026, with SDA-3 following later under the same umbrella contract. SSC officials have said that they awarded the SDA-2 missions to SpaceX for launches projected to begin in 4QFY26 and the SDA-3 missions to SpaceX for launches projected to begin in 4QFY27, all under the $5.6 billion umbrella contract that governs NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1. The description of how SSC awarded the SDA missions makes clear that these timelines are central to getting an operational Tracking Layer on orbit before the end of the decade.
Space Force leaders have also pointed to the broader impact of these awards on the launch market, noting that SpaceX’s discounted pricing has helped the company maintain dominance in the NSSL program even as new competitors emerge. Reporting on the awards explains that the Space Force awards $739 million in launch orders to SpaceX under a construct that emphasizes Discounted Access to space and cements the company’s dominance in the NSSL program for at least the next several years. That description of Discounted Access captures the tradeoff at the heart of the SDA missile tracking launches: the government is getting cheaper, more frequent access to orbit, but it is also tying a critical piece of its missile defense architecture to a single commercial provider.
Behind the scenes, SSC has also detailed how the first task order, called Discounted Access, and a second task order, called Rapid Access, are structured to give the government flexibility in how it buys launches for missile warning and tracking payloads. The first task order, called Discounted Access, is focused on missions that can be planned well in advance, while Rapid Access is meant for payloads that need to reach orbit on shorter timelines. The description of these task orders in the context of SSC and the National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1 program shows how the Pentagon is trying to balance cost, speed and resilience as it prepares to launch the next wave of SDA missile tracking satellites.
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