The U.S. Space Force expanded its roster of approved launch providers this week, granting eligibility to Relativity Space and Impulse Space for future military launch contracts. The move injects a new dynamic into the competition for lucrative national security payloads, as one of the entrants is not a traditional launch company.
Beyond the Launch Pad
While the inclusion of Relativity Space, a company developing the heavy-lift, partly reusable Terran R rocket under the leadership of former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, signals a maturing launch sector, the addition of Impulse Space marks a distinct shift. Impulse Space focuses on building spacecraft for in-space operations—essentially, orbital transport vehicles—not launching payloads from Earth's surface. This suggests the Pentagon is looking beyond simply getting a satellite to orbit and is increasingly interested in capabilities for maneuvering once in space, a domain critical for American primacy.
The military launch market remains a critical revenue stream and a sign of technical credibility for aerospace firms. For American taxpayers, the cost calculus involves ensuring that these contracts bolster domestic industrial capacity rather than fostering dependency on fragmented global supply chains. The Space Force's choice to evaluate a specialist in last-mile orbital delivery alongside traditional rocket builders underscores an evolving need for dynamic space operations, a priority as adversarial nations advance their own anti-satellite and in-orbit capabilities.
The inclusion of Impulse Space indicates the military is valuing mission capability beyond the initial boost phase. It’s a move to secure the entire kill chain in orbit, from delivery to the operational theater.
Relativity Space continues its work toward bringing the Terran R to the pad, aiming to disrupt a market currently dominated by established players. The firm’s progress under Schmidt's direction is being closely watched by defense planners seeking redundancy and competitive pricing for placing critical national security assets into space. Both companies now have the opportunity to bid on task orders under the National Security Space Launch program, directly supporting the defense industrial base and the nation's strategic objectives in the increasingly contested space domain.