U.S. Space Force Awards An Additional $19 Million To SpaceX For A National Security Mission

The United States Department of Defense (DoD) announced on Friday, August 20, that SpaceX received an additional $19 million ($19,226,072) dollars as part of a “bilateral modification” to cover costs of a previously awarded U.S Space Force 'USSF-52' (AFSPC 52) contract under the U.S. Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program. “This modification incorporates a change in the contract requirements,” they wrote, without further details due to national security. All that is publicly known is that SpaceX will launch a classified payload(s) for the U.S. Space Force atop a powerful Falcon Heavy rocket sometime next year. When the contract was first awarded in 2018, it was worth $130 million, the new contract modification brings the contract's value total to over $149 million ($149,226,072). Work related to this national security mission will be performed in “Hawthorne, California; Kennedy Space Center, Florida; and McGregor, Texas, and is expected to be completed by April 14, 2022,” the DoD award announcement states.

U.S. Space Force’s USSF-52 mission will carry a classified military payload atop SpaceX’s most powerful launch vehicle, which suggests the payload could be a very heavy satellite that requires a lift into Geostationary Orbit, at an altitude of over 35,700 kilometers. SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy is currently the world’s most powerful operational rocket by a factor of two. The rocket is comprised of three Falcon 9 cores attached side-by-side. Each core is equipped with nine Merlin 1D engines, totaling 27 engines that can generate over 5 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. Falcon Heavy can lift to orbit nearly 64 metric tons (141,000 lb) which is more than twice the payload of the world's second highest-capacity launch vehicle which is United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV Heavy.

The USSF-52 mission is part of a wider NSSL Phase 2 program in which SpaceX is set to launch dozens of national security missions for the U.S. Space Force in the coming years. As part of the Phase 2 program, SpaceX is required to build a new launch tower for vertical payload integration. Currently, SpaceX integrates their payload into the rocket's fairing horizontally inside a hangar. The rocket company plans to build a Mobile Service Tower (MST) at launch pads in Florida. The payload in the Phase 2 missions, may involve launching delicate secret military payloads that require a special vertical accommodation when inserting inside the fairing of their Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets. The tower will be 86.5 meters tall, 36 meters wide, and feature an enclosure to completely encapsulate a rocket. The mobile tower will be able to move the rockets vertically to the launch pad, and also provide a safe environment for SpaceX and military crews to insert very large satellites inside the rocket's fairing vertically. The company shared a render of the MST early 2020, pictured below. Author's note: Thanks for supporting Tesmanian.com. We appreciate your support. Find me on Twitter: Evelyn Janeidy Arevalo.

Featured Images Source: SpaceX

U.S. Space Force Awards An Additional $19 Million To SpaceX For A National Security Mission

by @JaneidyEve via @Tesmanian_comhttps://t.co/eDmrIrPv6Y

— Evelyn Janeidy Arevalo  (@JaneidyEve) August 21, 2021