The U.S. Space Force has selected SpaceX for a $4.16 billion contract to support the Space-Based Airborne Moving Target Indicator program, an initiative intended to provide global, space-based tracking of airborne threats.
The award was made on Friday through an Other Transaction Authority - OTA - agreement executed by the acting Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Space Based Sensing & Targeting. The SB-AMTI program is being developed to deliver persistent tracking capabilities from space to military forces, supplementing current airborne tracking assets.
Program officials framed the initiative as a response to limitations experienced by traditional airborne platforms in environments where adversaries field anti-access/area-denial capabilities. The space-based sensing layer is intended to operate alongside existing airborne methods to improve battlespace awareness in contested airspace.
"By focusing these capabilities to the space domain, we are providing the Joint Force with sustained battlespace awareness of contested airspace," said Col. Ryan Frazier, acting Space Force portfolio acquisition executive for SBST.
The SB-AMTI architecture will combine space-based sensors with communications links and ground processing. Acquisition for the program is structured as a hybrid model, pairing the OTA agreement with an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity - ID/IQ - framework to allow flexibility in deliveries and tasking.
The Space Force has established a multi-vendor framework to execute SB-AMTI. SpaceX is part of a vendor pool that was selected through competitive OTAs announced by Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink at the Space Symposium in April. The initial contract award anticipates deploying a satellite constellation by 2028, with the Space Force planning to issue additional awards over the coming year to increase the program's capacity.
Responsibility for program management sits with Space Systems Command, which administers a $15.6 billion annual space acquisition budget for the Department of War. The SB-AMTI award represents a significant contract within that portfolio and is part of a broader multi-vendor acquisition approach intended to scale capabilities over time.
Summary
- SpaceX received a $4.16 billion SB-AMTI contract to develop space-based airborne tracking capabilities.
- The award was issued under an OTA agreement combined with an ID/IQ acquisition model.
- The initial constellation is planned for deployment by 2028, with further awards expected to expand capacity.
Sectors impacted - Defense and aerospace contractors, satellite systems, and government space acquisition markets.