The U.S. Space Force has awarded United Launch Alliance and SpaceX hundreds of millions of dollars to fly national security payloads to space in the coming years.
Why it matters: The money provided by these competitive government contracts keeps space companies in business and flying to orbit regularly.
Details: ULA will receive the bulk of the funds, with $337 million going to the company for two missions expected to launch in 2022.
- SpaceX will receive $316 million for one mission launching in 2022.
- It's not yet clear what the nature of these missions will be.
- "We're excited about the new technology that's being brought into launch," William Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, said during a press call. "We don't think this is the last round of innovation that we're going to see."
The big picture: SpaceX and ULA weren't the only companies competing for this award. Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman also put in bids but didn't receive funds in this round.
- This type of government money is particularly important for space companies right now as the coronavirus pandemic has caused some other sources of business to contract.
