SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP · News & developments
SpaceX Secures NASA StarBurst Gamma-Ray Mission for Falcon 9 Under Multi-Vendor VADR Program
NASA selected SpaceX to launch the StarBurst small-satellite astrophysics mission aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. StarBurst will launch aboard a Bandwagon rideshare mission on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida no earlier than 2028. The award is structured as a firm-fixed-price task order under NASA's Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare contract, which features a 10-year ordering window and a cumulative ceiling of $1 billion across all participating commercial providers.
Why this matters
Booking government payloads onto existing rideshare orbits allows SpaceX to capture incremental civil revenue at negligible marginal launch costs. Because StarBurst will ride as part of a scheduled Bandwagon mission rather than on a dedicated booster, SpaceX absorbs a paying federal science customer directly into its shared launch manifest, turning unused vehicle volume into high-margin cash flow.