SpaceX Takes Over Control Of Space Force Satellite Mission

SpaceX will officially take over the launch of the next Space Force satellite mission from the United Launch Alliance (ULA). This will take place anywhere between the months of April and May 2025 as the GPS III SV-08 satellite will now launch into space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

Why Is SpaceX Taking Over The Space Force GPS III SV-08 Satellite Launch From The ULA?

The simple answer to the question that the subheading above poses is one word — speed. SpaceX can help the Space Force launch its satellites into space faster than the ULA can.

Last year, the ULA Vulcan was assigned to launch the Space Force GPS III SV-07 satellite into space in late 2025. However, that task was reassigned to SpaceX and the satellite was successfully launched into space on 16 December 2025, much faster than the ULA’s schedule.

Just like the previous reassignment of an original ULA mission to SpaceX, this new reassignment aims to get the GPS III SV-08 satellite to space faster. It doesn’t mean that the ULA is incapable of handling Space Force satellite launch missions, as they aren’t being kicked off the team.

The ULA Vulcan rocket just suffers from development delays that make it slow to launch satellites into space. While work to rectify these delays is underway, some launches for the Space Force will move over to the control of SpaceX.

What Is Next For The ULA Vulcan Rocket?

As stated in the previous subheading, the ULA hasn’t been kicked off the Space Force satellite launch team. Instead, some restructuring is in place to ensure that the backlog of satellite launches is cleared sooner rather than later.

Col. Jim Horne, the leader of launch execution at Space Systems Command, has been able to explain these restructurings to our understanding. According to him, there will be a “launch vehicle trade of the GPS III-7 mission from Vulcan to a Falcon 9 rocket, and swaps a later GPS IIIF-1 mission from Falcon Heavy to Vulcan.”
He adds that this restructuring effort showcases the Space Force’s “ability to launch in three months, compared to the typical 24 months.” So the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will relinquish control of the GPS IIIF-1 mission to the ULA.