SMC chooses NSTXL to manage $12B SpEC follow-on program

The Space and Missile Systems Center has selected National Security Technology Accelerator to manage its "reloaded" Space Enterprise Consortium under a new 10-year agreement with a $12 billion ceiling.

SMC said in a Dec. 9 press release it expects to award the agreement Dec. 31.

Since it was created in 2017 as a space technology incubator, SpEC membership has grown to more than 400 traditional and non-traditional companies. Using other transaction agreements, SMC has awarded more than 80 prototype deals worth a total of $856 million to support space technology needs across the national security enterprise.

As consortium manager, NSTXL will work to encourage companies to partner with the Defense Department to address those needs.

“This has been a very successful program thus far, and we look forward to taking it to the next level to unlock more value for the U.S. military by engaging more non-traditional defense companies and bringing great innovation into the nascent Space Force,” NSTXL CEO Tim Greeff said in a press release today.

SpEC’s original award ceiling of $100 million, managed by Advanced Technology International, grew to $1.4 billion in its first two years due to unanticipated demand across the department. The new $12 billion follow-on agreement represents a significant expansion for the effort.

According to SMC, the consortium has reduced contract award timelines by 36% compared to “traditional methods.”

“There’s no question that SpEC has been an overwhelming success for the government programs that have utilized it to accelerate their prototyping and for the consortium members to gain a better understanding on the USSF’s architectural direction,” Col. Tim Sebja, program executive officer for SMC’s Space Development Corps, said in the Dec. 9 press release.