Space Force Adds Two Startups to National Security Launch Provider Pool for Smaller Satellite Missions

WASHINGTON — The Space Force has approved two California-based startups, Impulse Space and Relativity Federal, to join the roster of vendors competing for launches of less critical national security payloads, Space Systems Command announced today.

These additions to SSC’s National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1 program increase the total number of qualified launch providers to seven. They join Rocket Lab and Stoke Space, selected last March, along with Blue Origin, SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance (ULA), which were added to the competitor pool in June 2024 [PDF].

Lane 1 covers launches to more accessible orbits carrying lighter payloads, as well as missions that are not critical must-success efforts. Examples include the Space Development Agency’s data transport and missile tracking satellites, and spacecraft utilized by the Space Force Test Program.

The expansion of the Lane 1 program coincides with shifts in the U.S. launch market, particularly SpaceX’s decision to halt new orders for commercial rideshares on its Falcon 9 rocket beginning in late 2028, as reported by Space News. In 2025, the Falcon 9 completed 165 launches, representing roughly 85 percent of all U.S. launch activity — both government and commercial. The vehicle is certified to support both NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 missions and Lane 2 flights carrying high-priority national security assets.

NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 operates under an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract valued at $5.6 billion through 2030. Similar to previous entrants, Impulse Space and Relativity Federal — Relativity Space’s government-focused division — have each received an initial $5 million award to perform a capabilities assessment and outline their tailored mission assurance strategy, according to the SSC press release.

‘Tailored mission assurance’ is a process that enables the Space Force to evaluate each Lane 1 provider’s capabilities and the related risks to mission success, as explained in the release.

Neither Impulse Space nor Relativity Federal has successfully launched a satellite to date.

Relativity Federal anticipates the inaugural launch of its reusable Terran R rocket later this year.

Impulse Space is developing Helios, a kick-stage designed to serve as a specialized upper rocket stage that delivers a final boost to payloads. Helios is engineered to interface with any medium-lift launch vehicle to increase cargo capacity for low Earth orbit missions and potentially reduce transit time to higher-energy orbits. The company plans to conduct the first Helios flight aboard a Falcon 9 rocket in late 2026.

In a statement released today, Impulse Space noted that the award represents the first instance where an upper-stage provider has been selected to act as a prime contractor under the NSSL program.

Eric Romo, president and chief operating officer of Impulse Space, stated that Helios will be integrated with a standard medium-lift launch vehicle to provide a more operationally flexible and cost-effective avenue to reach high-energy orbits compared to alternative approaches.

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