Elon Musk's very own SpaceX has recently won a massive $149 million contract to actually build certain missile-tracking satellites for the Pentagon itself. The United States Space Development Agency or SDA recently announced this on Monday saying this is the first contract for SpaceX to build the government satellites.
SpaceX is previously known for its very own reusable rockets as well as astronaut capsules but the company has been ramping up on its satellite production for Starlink, another company of Elon Musk that aims to send 14,000 satellites into space in order to provide the globe with reliable satellite internet connection. Starlink is known as a growing constellation of over hundreds of different internet-beaming satellites that the chief executive officer Elon Musk hopes will be able to generate just enough revenue in order to help fund SpaceX's very own interplanetary goals.
SpaceX's Space Development Agency contract
Under the known SDA contract, SpaceX is said to be using its Starlink assembly plant located in Redmond, Washington, in order to build four different satellites that are fitted with a useful wide-angle infrared missile-tracking sensor that is supplied by a particular subcontractor, according to an SDA official.
A certain technology company known as the L3 Harris Technologies Inc., previously known as Harris Corporation, has also received a whopping $193 million in order to build another four satellites for the SDA. Both of these companies are expected to finish the satellites and be able to deliver them for launch by fall of 2020.
SpaceX's awards from the pentagon
The awards are actually part of the SDA's very own first phase for them to procure the satellites in order to detect as well as track missiles just like intercontinental ballistic missiles or ICBMs, which can then travel for long distances and are also challenging to both track and intercept.
SpaceX back in 2019 has previously received $28 million from the known Air Force to use the popular fledgling Starlink satellite network in order to test the encrypted internet services with about a number of different military planes, thought the actual Air Force has actually not ordered any of the known Starlink satellites of its own.
SpaceX inspired the Russians?
SpaceX has even recently inspired the Russians to produce reusable rockets for the bettering future of space exploration. Elon Musk's many companies usually point towards solar power, electric vehicles, and also reusable rockets.
When it comes to reusable rockets, Elon Musk's SpaceX has definitely been pushing production forward and with the additional contracts from the United States. It's hard to think that SpaceX was on the brink of bankruptcy before it finally picked up and succeeded in creating innovative reusable rockets. What could be next in line for SpaceX's projects?
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Written by Urian Buenconsejo
