In August, SpaceX reported a $1.9 billion funding round in a regulatory filing with the SEC, which valued the Hawthorne-based company at $46 billion. That’s a lot of money for a single, non-consumer-facing company, but it makes more sense when you take into account the size of the deals SpaceX is signing.
This week the Space Development Agency, which reports to the United States Department of Defense, awarded SpaceX with a $149,175,246 contract. This contract recruits SpaceX to help the SDA with its Tracking Layer Tranche 0, Wide Field of View program.
That’s a wordy name for the program, but essentially the SDA is setting up a network of satellites in orbit that can spot missile launches around the globe. The “Tracking Layer Tranche 0” bit refers to the set-up of this satellite constellation, while “Wide Field of View” refers to the multiple satellites that can monitor missile activity across the world.
“These awards represent the next major step toward fielding the National Defense Space Architecture. The SDA Tracking Layer is an integral part of the Department’s overall overhead persistent infrared (OPIR) strategy to detect, track, and defeat advanced missile threats,” SDA director Derek Tournear said in a statement. “We are confident these fixed-price awards will help us deliver the initial tranche of the Tracking Layer on schedule.”
The awarded funds come out of the U.S. Defense budget for 2020. The SDA says that contracted work will be performed within the U.S.
SpaceX designs and launches rockets that can shoot satellites into orbit, or help with other space missions. The company is also focusing on using reusable rockets that can be launched multiple times, which allows SpaceX to save time and money on building rockets.
The company is currently in the middle of its Starlink mission, which aims to position a network of thousands of satellites in orbit, in order to provide internet access across the world.
