Senator questions canceling planned military satellites in favor of SpaceX
March 29 (UPI) -- A North Dakota senator has raised questions about the U.S. Space Force potentially canceling planned military satellite development contracts in favor of SpaceX-produced satellites called Starshield.
"Do you think cutting opportunities like this could hurt the innovators in the industrial base?" U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer (R - N.D.) asked during a confirmation hearing for Troy Meink in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee this week.
Meink, who is nominated to head the Department of the Air Force, said he was not aware of any plan to shift procurement of the satellites, which is done through the Space Development Agency.
Cramer said he was informed the agency may move away from tendering contracts for several transport layer satellites in favor of the Starshield low-Earth-orbit satellites produced by Spacex.
SpaceX is owned by billionaire Elon Musk, who leads President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency. The Starshields are military versions of the company's existing commercial satellites.
SpaceX has not bid on previous contracts for the project because its satellites were not believed to meet the technical requirements.
The proposed military communication satellites are meant to be part of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. The PWSA "will provide multi-band global communications access and persistent encrypted connectivity for warfighter missions," the SDA says on its website.
Some contracts have already been awarded to Denver-based York Space Systems and aerospace giant Northrop Grumman.
The Air Force denied any decisions have been made.
The military is evaluating "all acquisition programs in the context of FY26 president's budget deliberations and the administration's priorities," it said in a statement to Defense One.
A spokesperson told the publication the Air Force and Space Force "are committed to the efficient use of taxpayer dollars and maximizing the delivery of capability to the joint warfighter. We look forward to sharing the status of our acquisition programs with our stakeholders in Congress and elsewhere when the fiscal year 2026 budget is delivered in the coming months."
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