The United States is comprehensively accelerating its space military buildup: Trump establishes "space superiority," followed by a $3.5 billion satellite order.

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The United States is pushing for the largest space militarization deployment since the Cold War. On Thursday, President Trump signed an executive order making manned lunar landings, establishing a lunar base, and space weapon defenses national priorities. The Pentagon immediately announced that it has issued military satellite orders worth $3.5 billion, marking an unprecedented integration of civilian space exploration and military strategy at rapid speed.

This executive order, titled "Ensuring America's Space Advantage," requires a manned lunar landing by 2028 and the construction of a permanent lunar base by 2030. It also instructs the Pentagon and intelligence agencies to formulate a space security strategy.

Following the policy release, the U.S. Space Development Agency announced it has signed $3.5 billion fixed-price contracts with Lockheed Martin, L3Harris Technologies, Northrop Grumman, and Rocket Lab USA for the procurement of 72 infrared satellites for missile warning, tracking, and defense systems. These satellites are planned to be launched into low Earth orbit by 2029, achieving near-continuous global coverage.

2028 Lunar Landing Goal

Trump’s target of a manned lunar landing by 2028 is similar to the 2024 lunar landing directive he proposed during his first term in 2019, both regarded by the industry as highly challenging. Delays in development and testing of NASA’s Space Launch System and SpaceX’s Starship have repeatedly pushed back the landing schedule. Notably, the original goal was part of a NASA plan set under the Obama administration.

According to Reuters, the executive order requires "the initial elements of a permanent lunar base to be established by 2030," strengthening NASA’s existing objective to use nuclear power for developing a long-term base.

The 2028 astronaut moon landing will be the first under NASA’s Artemis Program, which aims to establish a sustained presence on the surface of the Moon. Achieving this heavily depends on the progress of SpaceX’s giant Starship lander, a project that previous NASA acting administrators have criticized for moving too slowly.

$3.5 Billion Military Satellite Network Taking Shape

The satellite orders announced Friday by the Space Development Agency under the U.S. Space Force show accelerated military space deployment. Four defense contractors each received fixed-price contracts for 18 spacecraft, totaling around $3.5 billion.

The agency’s acting director Gurpartap Sandhoo stated: The addition of these satellites will enable near-continuous global coverage for missile warning and tracking and will provide the capability to generate fire-control-quality trajectories for missile defense.

These satellites are part of the third batch (Tranche-3), supporting the agency’s goal to launch new batches every two years to update the satellite architecture. This September, the first spacecraft of the initial batch were launched from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base via SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. The agency plans to deploy a total of 154 operational spacecraft in the first batch, establishing initial operational capability by 2027.

Reorganization of Space Policy Coordination Mechanism

Trump's executive order reorganizes the national space policy coordination mechanism, placing it under the leadership of the President's chief science adviser, Michael Kratsios. The fate of the White House’s top space policy coordinating body, the National Space Council—which is composed of cabinet members and was reinstated by Trump during his first term—was once uncertain, and its cancellation was considered this year.

However, according to a government official, the council will not be abolished; instead, it will continue to exist under the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy with a different structure, chaired by the President rather than the Vice President.

This executive order also calls on the Pentagon and U.S. intelligence agencies to formulate a space security strategy, urges private contractors to improve efficiency, and seeks to showcase missile defense technologies under Trump’s “Golden Dome” initiative.

NASA Budget Cuts and Dual Objectives

Although the Moon has returned to the spotlight, NASA faces financial pressure. Under Musk’s government efficiency drive, NASA’s workforce has already been cut by 20%, and the 2026 budget may be reduced by about 25% from the typical $25 billion, endangering dozens of space science programs regarded by scientists and some officials as priorities.

The new administrator, Isaacman, previously stated he believes NASA should attempt to target both the Moon and Mars simultaneously. This position reflects this year’s Congressional pressure—lawmakers have gradually refocused on the Moon, urging Isaacman to stick with the multibillion-dollar lunar program already in progress.

Early in Trump’s second term, the President repeatedly mentioned Mars missions, with major donor Musk—whose SpaceX prioritizes sending humans to Mars—acting as a close adviser and strong advocate for government efficiency. However, legislative intervention shifted policy priorities back to the Moon.

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