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SpaceX, ULA awarded eight more US military launch contracts
The US military has awarded providers SpaceX and the United Launch Alliance (ULA) another eight launch contracts worth a total of $846 million that the companies will be tasked with completing over the next two or so years.
The US Space Systems Command (SSC) announced the decision on May 26th, providing some basic information about which missions were going to which provider. Per a highly unusual National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 2 competition that ULA and SpaceX ultimately won in 2020, all major US military launches scheduled between 2020 and 2024 (at minimum) are to be split 60:40 between the companies, and this latest set of missions – more ‘funded’ than ‘awarded’ – are no different. Curiously, they also appear to indicate less of a cost cap than usual between SpaceX and its lone US competitor.
SpaceNews author Sandra Erwin has done an excellent job collating extra information about the eight launches rewarded. The latest batch continue a bizarre trend of the US military awarding complex, high-performance missions to ULA’s Vulcan Centaur, a rocket that has never flown and is unlikely to debut before 2023. Meanwhile, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, which is the most flown and most statistically reliable rocket currently in operation, continues to be used primarily for much simpler launches to lower orbits.
With this latest batch, ULA’s Vulcan Centaur rocket was assigned GPS III SV07 (headed to a medium Earth orbit); WGS-11, a geostationary military communications satellite; and USSF-16, USSF-23, and USSF-43, which are classified and unidentified. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket was assigned USSF-124 (headed to low Earth orbit), USSF-62 (a military weather satellite headed to a polar orbit), and SDA Tranche 1 (a set of small communications satellites, some built by SpaceX, headed to a low polar orbit).
According to SpaceNews, ULA was awarded $566 million (~$113 million per launch) and SpaceX was awarded $280 million for its three contracts, meaning that SpaceX is charging an unusually high ~$93 million per Falcon 9 launch. Each of SpaceX’s three missions will almost certainly allow for Falcon 9 booster recovery, making the high cost even more odd.
Through its adherence to a bizarre 60:40 contract split that can only be described as an effort to ensure that ULA – possibly already predetermined to win before the competition began – would receive a lion’s share of contracts, has firmly hitched several near-term carts to a rocket that still hasn’t launched 22 months after its victory. Including a demonstration mission carrying a Moon lander and one or two NASA Cargo Resupply Services (CRS) missions carrying Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Dream Chaser space plane and cargo vehicle, Vulcan Centaur now has at least 11 launches – 10 for the US government – planned in 2023 and 2024.
Blue Origin, a company that has yet to deliver a single flightworthy BE-4 rocket engine to ULA, would need to deliver at least 22 engines over the next two or so years to avoid delaying Vulcan’s manifest. ULA’s existing rockets, Atlas V and Delta IV, each completed four launches in their first two years of service. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 was no different, launching four times in its first 2.5 years of operation. Only time will tell if Vulcan can more than double the early records of its closest rocket siblings.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk handed Grok something no other AI company can get their hands on
Elon Musk says SpaceX will feed engineering data into Grok’s next model, avoiding restricted material.
Elon Musk said Tuesday that SpaceX will feed its internal engineering data into the next major training run for Grok, the AI model now folded into SpaceX following February’s merger. In a post on X, Musk wrote that SpaceX’s “massive corpus of world-class engineering data,” excluding anything restricted under U.S. arms export law, will be added during supplemental training of what he called the “2T run,” a reference to a roughly two trillion parameter model that would nearly double the parameters behind the latest Grok 4.5 that’s rolling out.
SpaceX’s massive corpus of world-class engineering data (excluding material blocked by ITAR) will be added during supplemental training of the 2T run.
This will dramatically improve Grok’s engineering capabilities. https://t.co/BbQEViFByn
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 21, 2026
The excluded material that Musk is referring to would fall under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), which restricts export of technical data tied to defense and space hardware. That likely rules out propulsion specifics for Merlin and Raptor engines along with guidance and control details for SpaceX’s launch vehicles, but leaves manufacturing knowledge, materials science, and Starlink hardware design on the table.
The announcement extends a pattern that has been building since SpaceX’s Nasdaq debut in June, when the company went public with Grok and xAI’s Colossus supercomputer folded into the pitch to investors.
Days after that listing, SpaceX closed its $60 billion all stock acquisition of coding startup Cursor, giving xAI both enterprise software distribution and a stream of real world developer data to train on. Grok 4.5 launched July 8 running partly on that Cursor training data, with Musk describing it as roughly comparable to Anthropic’s Opus 4.7 but faster and cheaper to run.
Feeding SpaceX’s own engineering data into the next AI model follows the same logic Musk has applied across xAI’s sister companies. Tesla supplies real world driving data and manufacturing expertise, X supplies conversational data, and now SpaceX supplies aerospace engineering data built up since 2002.
Musk did not give a release date for the upcoming AI model, referred to elsewhere as Grok 4.6. He has said the two trillion parameter run is in its final training phase and expected to wrap this week.
Tesla has extended its Bay Area ride-hailing service to include pickups and drop-offs at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). The update, shared via the company’s official channels on July 21, allows users in the region to request rides directly to and from one of California’s busiest airports.
The expansion builds on Tesla’s secured limousine permit for SFO operations. Public records show the permit became effective March 20, 2026, and remains active through January 31, 2027. Tesla vehicles operating the service now display authorized limousine permits issued by the City and County of San Francisco.
Our Bay Area rideshare service now goes to SFO ✈️
— Tesla AI (@Tesla_AI) July 21, 2026
Tesla’s ride-hailing program in California relies on Model Y vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving (Supervised) technology. Human safety drivers remain present in compliance with state regulations, distinguishing the service from fully driverless operations.
The Bay Area geofence covers a broad area spanning north of San Francisco to south of San Jose, offering extensive connectivity across the region.
UPDATE: Elon Musk reveals why Tesla didn’t say ‘Robotaxi’ upon California launch
This SFO addition follows earlier progress at other Bay Area airports. Tesla previously expanded service to San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) in late 2025. The company had engaged with SFO, SJC, and Oakland International Airport officials as early as September 2025 to secure necessary approvals for passenger transport.
The service provides a new option for travelers seeking electric, app-based transportation integrated with Tesla’s ecosystem. Rides are booked through Tesla’s dedicated ride-hailing application, which handles matching, routing, and payments. Pricing follows standard ride-hailing models, with potential adjustments based on distance, time, and demand.
Tesla’s California ride-hailing program launched in July 2025 with an initial invite-only rollout in the Bay Area. It started alongside operations in Austin, Texas, marking the company’s second major U.S. market.
The Bay Area remains a primary focus in California, with service centered on high-demand corridors connecting residential, commercial, and now major transportation hubs. This latest airport integration represents a practical step in Tesla’s broader mobility ambitions within the state.
Tesla has officially revealed its 2026 Summer Update, which comes with a variety of crazy new features, including Navigation fixes that owners have been wanting for months.
Tesla routinely releases a larger update with the Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter updates, where it ships a variety of new features, bug fixes, and other additions to customer cars.
The 2026 Spring Update featured things like “Hey Grok” voice assistance, a redesigned self-driving app, Unreal Engine visual upgrades, and more.
🚨 TESLA’S SUMMER UPDATE FOR 2026 IS HERE:
Featuring:
✅ Self-Driving Stats in Mobile App
✅ Caraoke with Scoring
✅ Automatic Navigation
✅ Preferred Routes
✅ Set Arrival Energy from Mobile App
✅ Send Custom Wraps from Mobile App
✅ Rear Display Lock
✅ Other Improvements
🔌… https://t.co/C9IW3egEhH
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 21, 2026
Tesla’s Summer Release has about ten new features; we’ll show you each and detail them below:
New Grok Voice Commands
“Grok can now make phone calls, search and play music, adjust climate, open the glovebox, and answer questions about your Tesla.”
Self-Driving Stats in Mobile App
“View and share self-driving stats from the mobile app.”
Caraoke With Scoring
“Caraoke now scores your singing while in Park. High scores are saved to your Tesla profile.”
Automatic Navigation
“Automatic Navigation now adapts to your routine.
In addition to Home, Work, and upcoming calendar events, your vehicle can now suggest and route to places you visit regularly – like a school drop-off on the way to work, or the gym on the way home.”
Preferred Routes
“For a more personalized experience, navigation now prioritizes routes that you’ve taken before”
Set Arrival Energy from Mobile App
“Set your desired Arrival Energy from your phone.”
Send Custom Wraps from Mobile App
“Skip the USB drive and upload a custom wrap of your car from the mobile app. Instructions for creating a custom wrap here: https://github.com/teslamotors/custom-wraps.”
Rear Display Lock
“Kids can watch content on the rear screen, but only the front row can control it through the rear screen app.”
Other Improvements
- Find Superchargers by name when searching for a destination
- Add Apple Music songs to queue from search and artist page
- Set your preferred zoom level for the Self-Driving visualization
- Intro animations for new Model 3 and Y
Elon Musk handed Grok something no other AI company can get their hands on
Tesla expands ridesharing service in California to new hotspot
