SpaceX wins $2.29 billion space force contract for global military data network

Washington: The U.S. Space Force has awarded SpaceX a $2.29 billion contract to build a secure, high-speed satellite communications network for the military, the service announced Tuesday.

The fixed-price agreement covers the Space Data Network Backbone. The system is designed to connect military sensors and weapons platforms across the globe with high-capacity, low-latency data transport.

Space Force officials said the SDN Backbone will create a resilient network architecture for defense operations. The goal is to move critical data faster and more securely between systems in space, air, land, and sea.

The contract is classified as a nontraditional agreement. That structure is often used to bring commercial space companies into defense programs more quickly.

SpaceX has not commented on the award. Delivery timelines and deployment details were not disclosed in Tuesday’s announcement. The network will support the Pentagon’s push for real-time data sharing across all domains.