$4.16B Space Force Contract Goes to SpaceX, X Report 30 May 2026
SpaceX wins a $4.16B US Space Force contract for an airborne threat tracking satellite network. Starlink holds 10,413 satellites in orbit, 10,397 working.
Launch Date
April 12, 2017
Launch Site
XICLF
Launch Pad
LC2
Launch Vehicle
Chang Zheng 3B
NORAD ID
42663
International Designator
2017-018B
Epoch
Fri, 03 Jul 2026 19:05:54 GMT
Apogee
Calculating...
Perigee
Calculating...
Inclination
20.47°
Right Ascension
54.35°
Eccentricity
Calculating...
Argument of Perigee
162.13°
Period
475.74 min
Mean Motion
3.03 rev/day
Latitude
Calculating...
Longitude
Calculating...
Altitude
Calculating...
Velocity
Calculating...
Name
CZ-3B R/B
Alternative Name
CZ-3B Y43 Stage 3
Type
Status
Owner
CASC
Country
China
Constellation
N/A
Related Satellites
Major Events
N/A
1 42663U 17018B 26184.79577443 .00010431 00000-0 99433-3 0 9995
2 42663 20.4721 54.3529 6730804 162.1305 243.4365 3.02684671 79351
Source: Celestrak
Length
12.4
Diameter
3
Span
12.4
Dry Mass
2800
Launch Mass
8400
Shape
Cyl
Radar Cross Section
21.8051
Visual Magnitude
Unknown
Color
Unknown
Material Composition
Unknown
Payload
CZ-3B Stage 3
Purpose
Unknown
Mission
Unknown
Manufacturer
CALT
Life Expectancy
Unknown
Bus
CZ-3A Stage 3
Configuration
Unknown
Motor
Unknown
Equipment
Unknown
Power System
Unknown
ADCS
Unknown
Transmitter Frequency
Unknown
Learn more about satellites and other related topics.
SpaceX wins a $4.16B US Space Force contract for an airborne threat tracking satellite network. Starlink holds 10,413 satellites in orbit, 10,397 working.
Today's Space Brief covers imminent launches, new developments in space technology, and strategic military contributions to satellite defense systems.
In November 2023, Earth's most distant spacecraft started speaking gibberish. Five months, one dead memory chip, and 30 billion miles of round-trip troubleshooting later, engineers got it talking again - using code written before most of them were born.
Air Force awards CCA contracts to General Atomics and Anduril for autonomous fighter wingmen. Autonomy layer split across Anduril, Shield AI, and Collins Aerospace.
A startup built on Cold War-era radar science now tracks 25,000 objects in orbit - and the Pentagon can't get enough of it. But can its radars really compete with the Space Surveillance Network?
Today's brief covers the U.S. Space Force's orbital carrier initiative, ULA Vulcan's approval for military launches, Rocket Lab's new contract with the Space Force, integrated data layers for military command, and advances in tactical surveillance.
Today's briefing covers a new naming system by Space Force, China's space advances, drone defense at Cape Canaveral, and more military updates impacting space operations.
Planet Labs institutes 14-day delay on imagery covering Iran and Gulf States. Commercial remote sensing faces new operational security pressures as conflict escalates.