The U.S. Space Force has awarded SpaceX $1.6 billion for 18 Falcon 9 rocket launches to deploy sensing and targeting satellites, the service announced July 29.

The launches will take place from Vandenberg SFB, California, and run through the end of 2027. They were awarded across two task orders under the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 program, a release said.

The Space Force did not share how many satellites will be deployed under the task orders, but said the awards will support the Space-Based Sensing and Targeting portfolio. The specific mission area was not disclosed.

The service’s Space Access portfolio, which manages the NSSL program, anticipated awarding five task orders by the end of fiscal 2026 to begin deploying new constellations for the Space Data Network and space-based air moving target indication (SB-AMTI), a Space Access spokesperson previously told Aviation Week. Both missions sit under the new Space-Based Sensing and Targeting portfolio.

On top of providing the rides to orbit, SpaceX is the primary spacecraft vendor for those missions, having secured two significant contracts in May: one worth $4.16 billion for SB-AMTI satellites and a $2.29 billion contract to support the Space Data Network. The Space Force has also awarded initial SB-AMTI contracts worth $6,666-$10,000 to eight other vendors, Aviation Week reported June 26. Those companies are L3Harris Technologies, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Rocket Lab, Systems and Technology Research, Visto 360 AI, Wildstar and York Space Systems.

Space Force Col. Eric Zarybnisky, the service’s acting portfolio acquisition executive for Space Access, said his office set a two-month acquisition timeline for these launches from requirement identification to award, including one month for launch service providers to prepare proposals.

“Sensing and targeting of airborne objects from space and providing near-real-time communications across the Joint Force are vital to the defense of our nation,” Zarybnisky said. The rapid acquisition capabilities provided by our NSSL Phase 3 dual-lane approach allow us the flexibility to deliver satellites for our warfighters in an increasingly efficient manner.”

The two new task orders are the first to be awarded since the Space Force injected an additional $11.4 billion into the NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 program, pushing the contract ceiling to $17 billion and the total number of expected missions up to 170 launches from an original 60. The contract includes a five-year base ordering period plus a five-year option from 2025-2034.

Three vendors—Blue Origin, SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance—are currently eligible to bid on task orders under the Phase 3 Lane 1 contract, which was initiated in 2024 to support more risk-tolerant rockets and systems. To date, SpaceX has won nine task orders, while Blue Origin has secured one. Four additional companies—Impulse Space, Relativity Federal, Rocket Lab and Stoke Space—are part of the Lane 1 vendor pool, but must successfully fly their systems before they can bid on task orders.