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The U.S. Space Systems Command revealed the main points of its latest batch of launch contracts for national security missions shared between United Launch Alliance and SpaceX.
This marks the fifth and final 12 months of the Phase 2 National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Service Task Order awards has been issued. It also sets the stage for more launch corporations to hitch in the combination in the longer term. NSSL missions help protect U.S. assets each in orbit in addition to on the bottom. In addition they host technology demonstrations and advancements in various defense capabilities.
Nonetheless, financial uncertainty on Capitol Hill signifies that not the entire proposed missions may get funding for a while, including an indication of a nuclear thermal rocket.
Among the many 21 missions which have been assigned to ULA and SpaceX, only eight are anticipated to be ordered under a seamless resolution scenario, based on the U.S. Space Systems Command:
ULA
- GPS III-9 (Vulcan – Eastern Range)
- USSF-57 (Vulcan – Eastern Range)
- NROL-73 (Vulcan – Western Range)
SpaceX
- SDA T1TL-F (Falcon 9 – Western Range)
- SDA T1TR-A (Falcon 9 – Western Range)
- NROL-77 (Falcon 9 – Eastern Range)
- SDA T1TR-E (Falcon 9 – Western Range)
- GPS III-10 (Falcon 9 – Eastern Range)
The Space Development Agency’s (SDA) T1TL-F mission is the sixth and final mission of the Tranche 1 Transport Layer launches, which “will provide assured, resilient, low-latency military data and connectivity worldwide to the total range of warfighter platforms,” based on SSC. T1TR-A and T1TR-E are the 2 final Tranche 1 Tracking Layer launches, which “provide global indications, warning, tracking, and targeting of advanced missile threats, including hypersonic missile systems.”
The launch sites for the eight missions are split evenly between the Eastern Range in Florida and the Western Range in California and can use ULA’s forthcoming Vulcan rocket and SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.
So far as how these eight missions were chosen to be those likely advisable for funding through the continuing resolution, Maj. Christopher Box, the SSC chief of Phase 2 Launch Service Procurement told Spaceflight Now that, “These are the primary eight missions expected to launch chronologically.”
Currently, the federal government is being funded by a short-term continuing resolution that was passed on Sept. 30 to avoid a government shutdown but it’s going to expire on Nov. 17, once more raising the prospect of a shutdown.
So as to fully fund the federal government through fiscal 12 months (Oct. 1, 2023 through Sept. 30, 2024), Congress must pass 12 appropriation bills. As of Tuesday, based on Reuters, three bills have passed the Senate from a bipartisan so-called “minibus” package and House Republicans have passed seven partisan bills.
Like in September, Congress could pass one other continuing resolution while they hammer out the appropriations bills for the total FY24 budget, but a consensus has yet to be reached.
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Phase 2 coming to an end
On Oct. 31, SSC announced the planned 21 missions that can close out the NSSL Phase 2 Launch Service Procurement. This collection of launch contracts was first announced back on Aug. 7, 2020, when the Space and Missile Systems Center (officially renamed SSC on Aug. 13, 2021) when the 2 Firm-Fixed-Price, Indefinite Delivery Requirement contracts were awarded to ULA and SpaceX in a roughly 60-40 split.
“Over the five-year Phase 2 contract, we can have ordered a complete of 48 missions, a big increase over the 34 missions originally estimated leading as much as Phase 2,” said Brig. Gen. Kristin Panzenhagen, program executive officer, Assured Access to Space, in an announcement. “The rise in launch tempo is a transparent reminder of how vital space-based capabilities are in providing our warfighters and our nation’s decision-makers with the data needed to remain ahead of and to discourage adversarial forces.”
Following the first three missions assigned concurrent with the Phase 2 announcement, SSC went on to assign 4 missions for FY21, eight missions for FY22, 12 missions for FY23 and 21 missions for FY24. The worth tag of all of the planned mission is roughly $5.6 billion with roughly $3.1 billion awarded to ULA and $2.5 billion awarded to SpaceX.
When the Phase 2 contracts were first announced in 2020, Dr. William Roper, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, said on the time that it was a “groundbreaking” advancement in launch procurement alongside the National Reconnaissance Office.
“Maintaining a competitive launch market, servicing each government and business customers, is how we encourage continued innovation on assured access to space,” Roper said in an announcement on the time. “Today’s awards mark a brand new epoch of space launch that can finally transition the Department off Russian RD-180 engines.”
All the Phase 2 missions granted to ULA using its forthcoming Vulcan rocket. Nonetheless, the U.S.-51 mission, which was awarded in 2020 for Vulcan, will as a substitute be flown using an Atlas 5 rocket as a consequence of delays with the debut of Vulcan. That may launch no sooner than 2024.
Our inaugural #VulcanRocket is now outfitted with each of its GEM 63XL solid rocket boosters that can provide extra thrust at liftoff for the #Cert1 mission to launch a business lunar lander to the Moon and a memorial payload into deep space. Launch is targeted for Dec. 24! pic.twitter.com/lfDzG1tGL5
— ULA (@ulalaunch) November 6, 2023
Launching latest capabilities
The ultimate batch of Phase 2 missions will see three Vulcan rockets launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base, a capability that remains to be in development. There may even be three launches for SpaceX using its Falcon Heavy rocket, including to support a next generation GPS satellite.
The GPS 3 Follow-On (GPS 3F) series of satellites feature upgrades like Regional Military Protection Capability and a brand new search and rescue payload.
Lockheed Martin was contracted in September 2018 to accumulate 22 of the GPS 3F satellites for a complete contract value of as much as $7.2 billion, with the primary dubbed GPS 3F SV (Space Vehicle) 11. Most recently, SSC opted for its third production option to obtain SVs 18, 19 and 20 for about $774 million.
Also in the combination is Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO), designated mission USSF-25. It should show the talents of a nuclear thermal rocket in space, powered by high-assay low enriched uranium (HALEU), which researchers imagine can have two to thrice the efficiency of a typical combustion engine.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission defines HALEU as “uranium enriched in order that the concentration of the fissile isotope uranium-235 (U-235) is between 5% and 20% of the mass of uranium.”
That mission is anticipated to launch in March 2027, based on a presentation by Tabitha Dodson, the DRACO program manager, through the von Braun Space Exploration Symposium last month. The SSC confirmed that it’s going to launch on a Vulcan rocket.
10/ That is an outline of the flight profile.👇🏾 pic.twitter.com/XdCGaEusKu
— Will Robinson-Smith🚀 (@w_robinsonsmith) October 26, 2023
One other latest technology will launch with the U.S.-95 mission onboard one other Vulcan rocket. That might be the primary launch of a prototype Missile Track Custody satellite, which SSC said, “will evaluate the power of assorted Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared sensor designs to fulfill missile tracking requirements.”
There are also five missions launching on this batch on behalf of the NRO.
“We maintain a detailed partnership with our mission customers and our domestic launch industry to guard our nation,” said Col. Chad Melone, SSC senior materiel leader, Mission Solutions Space Acquisition Delta, in an announcement. “Under our Phase 2 contract, ULA and SpaceX have been committed partners, and our combined team stays dedicated to delivery of critical assets to our warfighters as we complete this phase of the NSSL program and embark on NSSL Phase 3 starting in FY25.”
Phase 3 will see latest entrants into the competition for NSSL awards. Firms like Blue Origin and Relativity Space are expected to vie for the forthcoming launches.