The U.S. Air Force awarded Elon Musk’s SpaceX a $130 million contract for a future satellite launch, the first major classified deal for the company’s Falcon Heavy rocket.
SpaceX will help to launch the Air Force Space Command (AFSPC)-52 satellite set to launch in fiscal year 2020 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Hawthorne, Calif.-based company will provide “launch vehicle production, mission integration and launch operations,” the Air Force said in a statement.
The contract for an expendable launch vehicle, which falls away from its payload after burning up all its fuel, “directly supports Space and Missile Systems Center’s (SMC) mission of delivering resilient and affordable space capabilities,” executive director Lt. Gen. John Thompson said.
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