WASHINGTON, D.C.: Elon Musk's SpaceX, Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, and United Launch Alliance (ULA) won U.S. military contracts worth US$13.5 billion late last week.

The contracts are for launching important and complex Pentagon satellites into space through 2029.

The U.S. Space Force is expected to conduct approximately 54 launch missions during this period. SpaceX will handle 28 missions and get $5.9 billion. ULA, a partnership between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, will do 19 missions for $5.3 billion. Blue Origin will launch 7 missions later in the program, earning $2.3 billion.

This is part of the Space Force's top launch program, called the National Security Space Launch (NSSL), which chooses the most reliable U.S. rocket companies. SpaceX and ULA are proven launch providers, while Blue Origin's rocket has only launched once so far.

SpaceX is the most active launch company in the world, often using its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets. ULA's new Vulcan rocket recently passed government tests and is now approved for military use.

These contracts are part of Phase 3 of the NSSL program, which focuses on the most challenging and costly missions. In the first year, most of the work will be allocated to SpaceX, which launches significantly more frequently than its competitors.

This program represents the latest step in the U.S. military's procurement of rocket launches for its satellites. ULA used to dominate this field, but SpaceX has grown quickly thanks to its reusable rockets, which help cut costs. Now, the Pentagon relies increasingly on SpaceX for satellite missions.

In the previous round of the program (Phase 2), ULA won 60 percent of the missions, while SpaceX secured 40 percent. However, delays with ULA's Vulcan rocket led to some of those missions being reassigned to SpaceX.

ULA's CEO said he is pleased that the Vulcan rocket has been chosen again and is ready for important space missions.

Musk, however, took a swipe at his competitors on his social media platform X. He said that even though SpaceX won 60 percent of the missions, the other companies still can't manage the remaining 40 percent. "I hope they succeed, but they aren't there yet," he added.