Space Force national security space launch Phase 3, Lane 1 missions will be open to novel heavy and superheavy boosters, including SpaceX’s Starship, which is scheduled for a near-orbital flight test on April 20.
The U.S. Space Force’s upcoming competition for national security space launch service (NSSL) will be open to novel heavy- and superheavy new boosters, including Blue Origin’s New Glenn, SpaceX’s Starship and others.
Under a proposed “dual-lane approach,” the Space Force plans to award two types of contracts in its upcoming Phase 3 solicitation. A pair of draft request for proposals were released on Feb. 16.
Lane 1 of the program will feature multiple firm fixed-price, indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) awards, each with a five-year ordering period that begins in fiscal 2025 and a five-year option for additional orders through fiscal 2034.
Bidders will not be required to meet all NSSL orbits. Phase 1 missions will not only be open to companies, such as Rocket Lab and Firefly that serve the small- and medium-lift launch market, but also to heavy and superheavy-lift launch service providers, Maj. Gen Stephen Purdy, program executive officer for Assured Access to Space, told reporters during an April 18 briefing at the 38th Space Symposium, underway in Colorado Springs this week.
“The NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 missions are fairly good-sized missions,” Purdy said. “You’re talking about a Falcon 9 [class] ... a Rocket Lab Neutron or a Firefly Medium. [SpaceX’s] Starship and Blue Origin [New Glenn] are other examples of [rockets] under development that will on ramp at different times.”
“The notion is that they’ll be able to be compete fairly because we’re basing that completely on the competitive commercial market,” Purdy said.
“There are no addition aspects in there: we’re not doing certifications, there are not additional requirements we’re adding. We’re basically saying, ‘Here’s the mission, here’s an LEO [low Earth orbit] orbit, get into LEO orbit.’ It’s the same thing an Intelsat might do, the same thing a commercial company would do,” Purdy said.
The two winners of the NSSL Phase 3 Lane 2 competition also would be free to bid on Lane 1 missions, Purdy noted.
Lane 2 contracts build on the existing Phase 2 program, with two competitively awarded contracts. Successful bidders must be able to meet all NSSL orbits and unique mission capabilities.
United Launch Alliance and SpaceX currently provide launch services under NSSL Phase 2 contracts, which are expected to end in fiscal 2027.
The Space Force plans to reopen the Lane 1 solicitation annually to attract new launch service providers and systems into the program. The government may order Lane 1 missions individually or in blocks, with task orders for launch services to be competed annually among all IDIQ awardees.
