Space Force Awards SpaceX $4.16 Billion SB-AMTI Contract — Satellite Constellation to Track Airborne Moving Targets from LEO

The U.S. Space Force's Space Systems Command awarded SpaceX a $4.16 billion Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement on May 29, 2026 for the Space-Based Airborne Moving Target Indicator (SB-AMTI) program — a satellite constellation designed to continuously detect and track airborne moving targets including cruise missiles, hypersonic glide vehicles, drones, and aircraft from low Earth orbit. SpaceX was selected from a nine-company SB-AMTI vendor pool established in April 2026 as the first major contract awardee; additional awards to other vendors may follow to maintain supplier diversity. The constellation is targeted to achieve initial operational capability by 2028, providing 24/7 persistent tracking capability that supplements or eventually replaces existing airborne radar platforms. The contract is part of the Pentagon's broader push to move targeting and intelligence capabilities into space under the Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) architecture. The SB-AMTI award, combined with the $2.29 billion Space Data Network Backbone contract awarded just two days earlier on May 27, brings SpaceX's new Space Force contract total for the week of May 26-30 to approximately $6.45 billion — the largest weekly total in the company's history. CNBC, DefenseScoop, Breaking Defense, and SpaceNews each covered the award, noting it adds a major defense revenue line ahead of the Nasdaq (SPCX) IPO pricing on June 11, 2026.