US Space Force awards SpaceX $2.29 billion contract for military space data network

The U.S. Space Force has awarded SpaceX a $2.29 billion contract to build a secure, high-speed satellite communications network to connect military sensors and weapons platforms across the globe, the service announced on Tuesday.

The fixed-price nontraditional contracting agreement covers the Space Data Network (SDN) Backbone, a resilient network architecture providing high-capacity and low-latency data transport for the military.

Space Force said the vendor must deliver a fully operational prototype capability by the end of 2027.

Among other roles, the SDN will provide the communications pathways for integrating and moving data from missile warning and tracking sensors to interceptors in near real time — a capability seen as foundational to the Trump administration's Golden Dome missile defense initiative.

"The SDN Backbone leverages the best of commercial innovation and delivers a strong foundation for the SDN mission set — a huge benefit and enabler for our warfighters," said Space Force Colonel Ryan Frazier, the acting portfolio acquisition executive overseeing the program.

The SDN Backbone is a proliferated low Earth orbit (pLEO) satellite constellation that will expand a mesh of satellites delivering worldwide communication services, the Pentagon said. It will work alongside the Space Development Agency's Transport Layer to form a unified architecture providing critical data transport for current and future Department of Defense missions.

The Space Force said it plans to identify additional contractors for satellite construction and other network elements over the summer.

-Mike Stone/Reuters