SpaceX, ULA, Blue Origin Win $13B in Pentagon Launch Contracts

SpaceX, United Launch Alliance and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin won billions of dollars in contracts to loft the Pentagon’s most-sensitive satellites over several years.

The national security launch awards, announced late on Friday, reflect the deepening ties Elon Musk’s rocket company has made with the US government and its strong challenge to longstanding incumbent ULA, a joint venture of Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. The awards also show an industry that’s rapidly evolving, with ULA winning certification last week of its new Vulcan rocket and Blue Origin finally reaching orbit with its New Glenn ...