Elon Musk's SpaceX clinches $714 million Pentagon contracts: Why did Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin fail to win launch deals?

The US Space Force has awarded SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, five of seven critical military launch missions for the upcoming fiscal year, despite recent public tensions between the billionaire and President Donald Trump.

The contracts valued at $714 million are part of the Space Force’s National Security Space Launch Program (NSSL), which it uses to procure launch services for military space missions, Air & Space Forces magazine reported.

SpaceX’s upcoming missions include the launch of a communications spacecraft, three classified payloads, and a reconnaissance satellite, with launches expected in 2027, which is in line with the Space Force’s two-year advance planning.

Which other companies are shortlisted?

The remaining two military launch missions, worth $428 million, were awarded to the joint venture United Launch Alliance (ULA).

Under NSSL, the Pentagon has previously shortlisted SpaceX, ULA, and Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin for a combined 54 missions, valued at $13.5 billion. These missions have been scheduled between 2027 and 2032, the news report said.

“Space is the ultimate high ground, critical for our national security,” said Col Eric Zarybnisky of the US Space Systems Command, per Air & Space Forces.

He further added that delivering assets to the warfighter is the government's ultimate mission, highlighting the reliance on “strong government-industry partnerships” to achieve that goal.

Why did Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin fail to secure a deal this time?

Jeff Bezos-owned Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket, which is positioned as a competitor to SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy, failed to secure any launches for this cycle as it awaits national security clearance.

Blue Origin’s next chance to bid for a mission will open in fiscal year 2027. The company's certification prospects are now closely tied to its upcoming NASA Mars mission.

Originally scheduled for 2024, the mission is now potentially launching by the end of this month.

The awards are reported to highlight SpaceX’s lead in national security space launches, while Blue Origin continues to push for a stronger foothold in the competitive space race.