SpaceX wins second GPS III contract award

The Air Force on Tuesday announced that military space launch newcomer, SpaceX, will support a second GPS III launch.

The service awarded the company a $96.5 million contract for the mission. The announcement does not list which GPS III satellite the company will launch, nor does it provide a launch date. However, work is slated to be complete in April 2019.

This is SpaceX's second win in the service's newly competitive Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle market. The company won a GPS III contract in April, though it was the only bidder. Longtime sole-source provider United Launch Alliance confirmed to Inside Defense in December that it did bid for this second GPS III contract, though it opted not to compete for the prior launch.