The U.S. Space Force has awarded Jacobs Technology a contract worth up to $4 billion over 10 years to provide engineering and technical services across the nation's primary space launch ranges, the military said.
The “Space Force Range Contract,” awarded by the Space Systems Command on May 31, will support operations at the Eastern Range, based at Patrick Space Force Base in Florida, and the Western Range at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The deal covers maintenance, sustainment, systems engineering and integration services through 2035.
Tullahoma, Tennessee-based Jacobs Technology was selected from four competing bidders for the indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract.
The agreement marks a shift in how range infrastructure will be funded. Under the new model, commercial launch providers can directly request and fund services or upgrades, rather than relying on government appropriations.
“Historically, the government has fronted these costs,” said Brig. Gen. Kristin Panzenhagen, Commander of Space Launch Delta 45 and Director of the Eastern Range. “The ability of our commercial partners to directly fund their own task order will lessen the financial and administrative burden on the government.”
The move comes amid rising commercial launch activity, with companies such as SpaceX increasing launch frequency and placing greater demands on infrastructure originally built for Cold War-era government missions. Industry officials have raised concerns that outdated facilities could become a bottleneck as launch volumes grow.
In a statement, the Space Systems Command said the contract aims to “transform the way operations, maintenance, sustainment, and systems engineering and integration services are provided,” ultimately turning the Eastern and Western Ranges into “efficient, high-capacity multi-user spaceports.”
Panzenhagen added that the ranges “have long maintained large inventories of aging systems” and that the new contract structure is designed to enable more responsive and flexible operations.