The U.S. Space Force has selected 15 companies to compete for up to $981 million in orders under a new indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract intended to develop test and range capabilities for the National Space Test and Training Complex.
Gen. Greg Gagnon, head of Space Force Combat Forces Command, has been candid about the problem driving the initiative: a number of key mission areas across the space domain face a serious shortage of training equipment and kit. The $981 million pool is designed specifically to address those deficiencies by funding the procurement of systems — including satellites and sensors — that can make military space training more operationally realistic.
A Structured Fix for a Documented Gap
The contract vehicle is structured as an IDIQ, meaning the 15 selected companies will compete for individual task orders rather than share a fixed award★. That approach gives the Space Force flexibility to direct funding toward the most pressing capability shortfalls as they are identified, without committing the full sum upfront★. The work will feed into the National Space Test and Training Complex, a dedicated infrastructure effort to provide guardians with environments that more closely mirror real-world space operational conditions★.
The scale of the funding pool reflects how seriously leadership is treating the readiness problem. By standing up a dedicated procurement mechanism, the Space Force is signaling that ad hoc solutions are no longer sufficient and that structured, sustained investment in training infrastructure is now a formal priority.
The 15 awardees will now compete for task orders as the Space Force defines specific requirements, with the $981 million ceiling representing the maximum potential value of the vehicle over its life.
★ AI inference: One or more analytical conclusions in this article were drawn by the AI from cited facts and are not directly stated in the cited sources.