Space Force awards Blue Origin $78M to expand space vehicle processing

The Space Force awarded Blue Origin $78.25 million to expand space vehicle processing capacity at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL, the service announced today.

The contract through the National Security Space Launch Space Vehicle Commercial Solutions Opening calls on Blue Origin to increase the number of space vehicles the service can process to meet Space Systems Command’s launch manifest needs, according to a previous solicitation for the program.

“This second CSO award reflects our continued commitment to meet both national security and commercial launch requirements,” said Col. Dan Highlander, director of Operations Integration for SSC’s Assured Access to Space directorate. “This additional capacity will ensure the USSF is able to continue to deliver responsive and resilient launch capabilities to the warfighter, and the public-private partnership behind the new capacity enables us to cost-share with commercial industry to our mutual benefit.”

This is the second of such contracts SSC has awarded. In April, the Space Force awarded Astrotech Space Operations a similar contract to increase space vehicle processing capacity at Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA. That contract totals $77.5 million, SSC said in that announcement.