Space Launches Should Withstand Chinese Challenge, Pentagon Mandate Says

Rocket launches are easily monitored, given that the vehicles noisily blast off from a handful of launch sites. The physics of space renders rockets and the satellites they carry trackable in orbit, potentially enabling adversaries to interfere in their operations or destroy them. In the latest national-defense strategy, Pentagon officials cited China’s capabilities in space as a major concern. 

Russia’s space operations have also drawn attention from military planners. In 2021, the country used a missile to destroy one of its defunct satellites. More recently, officials raised the prospect that U.S. commercial satellites could be targeted if they were found to be assisting Ukraine. 

The Defense Department’s National Security Space Launch program has a budget of $1.2 billion in fiscal 2023, buying large and midsize rocket missions to carry spy and military satellites to orbit for the Space Force and intelligence agencies such as the National Reconnaissance Office. 

Space officials have highlighted a range of threats to satellites, including direct attacks from other satellites, ground-launched missiles and cyber threats, and the Pentagon has changed its strategy in an effort to make its communications systems less susceptible to attack and interference. This includes distributing their functions across hundreds of small satellites instead of larger ones that are easier to target.

The Pentagon established the predecessor of the current launch program in the 1990s. Today, the Space Force, established as an independent branch of the U.S. military in 2019 to handle Pentagon operations in orbit, oversees the national-security launch program. 

The mandate for a robust defense against foreign interference is expected to appear in that program’s forthcoming third phase.

At least three rocket companies are expected to compete for deals to handle launches under the new contracting round, people familiar with the matter said. 

Frank Calvelli,

assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisitions and integration, said at an event in Washington last month that the Pentagon was still working out how to buy the launch services. He said the Pentagon was on track to release its acquisition strategy in February.

Many rocket companies have been closely tracking plans for the program. United Launch Alliance LLC, a joint venture owned by

Boeing Co.

and

Lockheed Martin Corp.

, has been the dominant rocket provider for the Pentagon for nearly two decades.

Elon Musk

‘s SpaceX has broken into the mix in recent years, winning business to handle sensitive missions on its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets. In 2020, during the previous launch-contracting round, ULA was awarded a deal to handle 60% of national-security missions through the government’s 2027 fiscal year, with SpaceX tasked with conducting the remaining 40%.

“We’re awaiting requirements to meet the China threat,” said

Tory Bruno,

chief executive of ULA. 

A spokesman for SpaceX, known formally as Space Exploration Technologies Corp., didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Northrop Grumman Corp.

and Blue Origin LLC, the space company backed by

Jeff Bezos,

sought but didn’t receive contracts in the 2020 round. Blue Origin is looking forward to competing for the next phase of the launch contracts, a spokeswoman said.

Pentagon officials have said competition in the launch market has helped lower costs. 

ULA has launched missions mainly on rockets with Russian-made engines it has now stockpiled. The company plans to use its Vulcan Centaur rocket, which relies on long-delayed engines developed by Blue Origin, as it bids on the next round of national-security launches. The company plans to launch Vulcan on its inaugural mission in the first quarter.  

SpaceX has relied on government contracts to help fund its development, and broke into the national-security segment after taking the Pentagon to court in 2014 to secure a share of future contracts. 

Northrop Grumman, like ULA, has relied on Russian-made engines, but is developing a new version of its Antares rocket. The Antares is to have a new, U.S.-made engine that the company said was aimed at serving national-security and commercial missions. The company said it was monitoring the evolving requirements for the next tranche of Pentagon launch contracts.

Write to Doug Cameron at Doug.Cameron@wsj.com and Micah Maidenberg at micah.maidenberg@wsj.com