SpaceX has secured a $4.16 billion contract from the US Space Force to develop SB-AMTI, a satellite constellation designed to track and target airborne threats, including aircraft and cruise missiles, from low-Earth orbit in real time.
This comes just days after SpaceX won a separate $2.29 billion deal for the Space Data Network Backbone, a secure military communications system. Combined, the two contracts total approximately $6.45 billion, signaling a major strategic shift by the Space Force toward proliferated low-Earth orbit constellations.
The work will likely be handled by SpaceX's Starshield division, which adapts Starlink technology for military use with enhanced encryption. The contracts were awarded through an Other Transaction Authority agreement, allowing faster development and bypassing traditional bureaucratic processes.
For investors, these wins underscore the Space Force's pivot away from legacy contractors. Traditional defense giants like Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman now face a formidable competitor that can undercut on cost while maintaining high launch cadence. However, the concentration of two massive contracts with a single company introduces risk if SpaceX faces production delays.