spacetoday.net: Space Force to add a third company in next launch competition

Space Force to add a third company in next launch competition

Posted: Fri, Jul 21, 2023, 9:04 PM ET (0104 GMT)
Vulcan launch vehicle illustration (ULA)

The US Space Force said it changed its plans for the next phase of the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) competition because of concerns about a shortage of rockets. The Space Force said last week it would add a third provider to NSSL Phase 3's "Lane 2" for more demanding missions. At a briefing this week, officials said they were concerned that growing demand for launch services would make it difficult for them to carry out all their missions with just two providers. The third provider would get just seven of the 58 missions planned for Lane 2: five GPS launches and two direct-to-geostationary launches. The other two providers will split the remaining 51 launches on a 60-40 basis.