The U.S. Space Force raised the ceiling of its National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1 contract to $17 billion, up from $5.6 billion, to support a projected rise in satellite launch missions through fiscal 2029.

The contract is a multiple‑award indefinite‑delivery, indefinite‑quantity vehicle that allows the service to issue task orders to seven approved launch providers for missions that do not require full certification. The expanded ceiling permits cumulative spending up to the new limit across all task orders.

The seven vendors are SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, Blue Origin, Rocket Lab, Stoke Space, Impulse Space and Relativity Space. The increase follows a separate assessment that identified 25 additional Phase 3 Lane 2 missions beyond the original 54 launches planned over five years. Together, the higher Lane 1 ceiling and the additional Lane 2 missions indicate a significant upward revision of the Space Force’s projected launch requirements since the Phase 3 acquisition strategy was established in 2024.

The revised contract terms are intended to broaden competition for national security launches and to accommodate the growing number of scheduled missions.