The U.S. Space Force has awarded Elon Musk‘s rocket company, SpaceX, a $178.5 million contract to launch missile-tracking satellites for the Space Development Agency. The agreement, called SDA-4, includes two Falcon 9 launches starting in the third quarter of 2027, with one at Cape Canaveral in Florida and the other at Vandenberg in California. The satellites, built by Sierra Space, are designed to improve the military’s ability to detect and track missile threats from orbit.
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Forget margin or options. Here's how the pros trade TSLAThis deal is part of the National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1 program, which focuses on faster and more cost-effective launches. The program is designed to give the Space Force more flexibility when sending satellites into different orbits. In practice, this allows companies like SpaceX to deliver payloads more efficiently and on tighter timelines. Officials say that this structure helps speed up deployments while also reducing costs, which is especially important for time-sensitive missions like missile tracking.
In addition, SpaceX continues to gain momentum when it comes to national security launches. In fact, the Space Force recently shifted a GPS III satellite launch from United Launch Alliance (ULA) to SpaceX after issues with ULA’s Vulcan rocket. Importantly, that was the fourth straight GPS III mission transferred to SpaceX. This is noteworthy because years ago, ULA dominated this market. However, SpaceX has steadily taken market share over time. As a result, the company is expected to handle around 60% of Phase 3 launches through 2032, which equates to roughly $6 billion in contracts.
What Is the Prediction for TSLA Stock?
When it comes to Elon Musk’s companies, most of them are privately held. However, retail investors can invest in his most popular company, Tesla (TSLA). Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Hold consensus rating on TSLA stock based on 13 Buys, 11 Holds, and eight Sells assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. Furthermore, the average TSLA price target of $394.36 per share implies 9.4% upside potential.
