Elon Musk's SpaceX Excluded from New US Military Space Contracts

The American entrepreneur Elon Musk's SpaceX company is absent from key new military contracts of the United States, as its satellite constellations have proven vulnerable to targeted electronic countermeasures during recent events in Iran. This assessment was provided by the Center for Unmanned Systems and Technology in Russia.

The center noted in a publication on Telegram that by the end of 2025, the Pentagon's Space Development Agency has allocated $3.5 billion for the development of a new orbital satellite observation system. This concerns the Tranche 3 Tracking Layer program, which includes satellites for the early detection and tracking of hypersonic threats integrated with the US missile defense system.

The contract aims to establish a sustainable military orbital architecture that can operate under conditions of electronic warfare, cyber influence, and direct counteractions from adversarial states. The Center for Unmanned Systems and Technology points out that the allocation of funds under the Tranche 3 program highlights the Pentagon's strategic focus. Lockheed Martin has received $1.1 billion and remains the main contractor in US military space, maintaining a presence across all layers of the architecture.