- Blue Origin won a $1.37M Air Force Research Laboratory contract on Aug. 1, 2025 (award FA2385‑25‑C‑B023) to analyze how its systems could support point‑to‑point rocket transport; work is based in Merritt Island, FL. HigherGov
- Anduril Industries landed a $1.0M AFRL “Rocket Cargo – Capabilities Study” award on Aug. 20, 2025 (award FA2385‑25‑C‑B029) to design a multi‑platform payload container/re‑entry system. HigherGov
- Rocket Lab was tapped in May 2025 for an experimental REGAL mission using Neutron to demonstrate re‑entry/return‑to‑Earth capability no earlier than 2026. Spaceflight Now
- SpaceX remains the program’s anchor vendor from an earlier phase: a five‑year, $102M Rocket Cargo contract awarded in Jan. 2022 to study and demo point‑to‑point logistics (widely understood to leverage Starship). C4ISRNet
- Sierra Space (Oct. 2024) received a REGAL study to scale its “Ghost” re‑entry logistics vehicle from 150 kg to 5–10 metric tons for rapid global delivery. sierraspace.com
- The REGAL (Rocket Experimentation for Global Agile Logistics) effort aims to field “anywhere on the planet in < 1 hour” delivery as a service‑type contract bought from commercial providers. SAM.gov
- Planned Starship landing‑site testing at Johnston Atoll entered environmental review in March 2025, then was put on hold in July amid wildlife concerns as the Air Force evaluates alternate locations. GovInfo
- Budget docs and program updates describe near‑term demos (air‑drop systems, austere‑site delivery) and an eventual 30–100‑ton transport goal. Breaking Defense
What, exactly, did the Air Force just award?
Two fresh study awards expand the Department of the Air Force’s “Rocket Cargo” ecosystem:
- Blue Origin (FA2385‑25‑C‑B023; $1.366M; Aug. 1, 2025) — scope: analyze Blue Origin commercial space technology for DoD point‑to‑point material transportation. The place of performance is Merritt Island, Florida. This is a firm‑fixed‑price award under AFRL’s REGAL umbrella. HigherGov
- Anduril Industries (FA2385‑25‑C‑B029; $1.0M; Aug. 20, 2025) — scope: design and analysis for a payload container / re‑entry system that can integrate multiple government payloads and mount across different platforms; awarded as a firm‑fixed‑price study under REGAL Call 003. HigherGov
These add to a growing roster of vendors AFRL is paying to explore complementary pieces of the “from, through, or to space” logistics chain. Space.com and TechCrunch also highlighted the Blue Origin ($1.3M) and Anduril ($1.0M) awards with on‑record confirmation from REGAL program manager Daniel Brown. Space
Where Rocket Cargo stands today: the vendor landscape
- SpaceX — $102M (Jan. 2022), five‑year AFRL contract to demonstrate technologies for point‑to‑point logistics. While the government hasn’t officially named Starship in the award, reporting and budget text consistently point to Starship as the likely platform for very‑heavy deliveries. C4ISRNet
- Rocket Lab — May 2025 award for a REGAL experiment on Neutron (medium‑lift, reusable) with a return‑to‑Earth demo NET 2026; AFRL and Air & Space Forces frame this as a concrete step toward rapid reentry logistics demonstrations. Spaceflight Now
- Sierra Space — Oct. 3, 2024 REGAL study to scale its Ghost decelerator from 150 kg to 5–10 t payload return, explicitly targeting rapid, global logistics. sierraspace.com
- Blue Origin — Aug. 1, 2025 REGAL award to analyze adaptations of New Glenn/other systems for P2P delivery (award details above). HigherGov
- Anduril — Aug. 20, 2025 REGAL award to design a universal payload container / reentry system (award details above). HigherGov
Program manager’s early rationale: “We decided it’s time to make an investment and see if this turns into an operational capability,” said AFRL’s Greg Spanjers when Rocket Cargo was designated a Vanguard in 2021. Military.com
What “Rocket Cargo” means in practice
AFRL’s Rocket Cargo (Vanguard) and the Space Force’s Point‑to‑Point Delivery (P2PD) prototype line envision leasing commercial launch/reentry services (not building bespoke rockets) to ship materiel globally in hours—and eventually conduct austere‑site deliveries in the 30–100 ton class. REGAL is the contracting lane for near‑term studies and tests to buy down the tech and ops risks. Air Force Research Laboratory
The near‑term emphasis is twofold:
- Return from orbit via reentry vehicles (e.g., Sierra Space Ghost) that can be pre‑staged or flown on demand. sierraspace.com
- Suborbital/through‑space point‑to‑point delivery with air‑drop options from large vehicles such as Starship, plus austere landings once sites and licensing mature. Breaking Defense
Rocket Lab’s Peter Beck on why his company is in: “Reentry and rocket reusability is a critical advancement … [the] DoD is highly supportive.” Air & Space Forces Magazine
Sierra Space CEO Tom Vice: “The Sierra Space Ghost unlocks scalable point‑to‑point logistics.” sierraspace.com
USTRANSCOM (the customer that ultimately buys logistics): commercial point‑to‑point space transport “may provide a unique capability” for rapid global support. amc.af.mil
The environmental and regulatory wrinkle
To practice austere‑site landings, the Air Force signaled a test campaign at Johnston Atoll (two pads; up to 10 landings/year for four years) via a formal Notice of Intent in the Federal Register (Mar. 3, 2025). But in July 2025, after concerns about seabird habitats, the department paused that assessment and is evaluating alternate locations. GovInfo
Spaceflight Now’s write‑up of the EA notice also highlights the need to comply with FAA 14 CFR Part 450 for launch/reentry licensing—another gating factor for any real‑world demo. Spaceflight Now
What’s next (near‑term watch‑items)
- Blue Origin & Anduril will deliver study results under REGAL—Blue on system adaptation for P2P; Anduril on a multi‑platform, recoverable payload container. Expect these to shape follow‑on demo task orders. HigherGov
- Rocket Lab/Neutron aims for its first flights in 2025, with the REGAL reentry demonstration NET 2026. Spaceflight Now
- SpaceX/Starship remains pivotal for very‑heavy lift; location and licensing for austere‑site trials are the critical blockers to watch. Federal Register
- Budget and scope: Air & Space Forces reporting points to FY25 spend lines and a demo goal to “transport 30 to 100 tons of cargo to an austere site.” Air & Space Forces Magazine
Big picture: Why the momentum now?
Two things changed:
- Commercial capability — Large, reusable rockets (and reusable reentry systems) are finally mature enough to study seriously, with multiple providers now in play. Breaking Defense
- Acquisition strategy — AFRL/Space Force want service‑based logistics (the gov’t buys delivery, not rockets), creating room for many vendors—launchers, reentry vehicles, autonomy, landing tech—to slot in. SAM.gov
Reality check: challenges and unknowns
- Safety & licensing: FAA 450 and range constraints; air‑drop safety; overflight corridors. Spaceflight Now
- Test sites: environmental sensitivity derailed the Johnston Atoll plan—for now. New sites will need community, regulatory, and interagency buy‑in. Reuters
- Operational risk: critics warn about misinterpretation in crisis (rocket vs. missile) and cost‑per‑ton vs. airlift tradeoffs; USG is still validating a workable CONOPS. The Washington Post
- Tech maturity: even supporters note financial/technical feasibility is not yet proven, hence the stepwise study‑>demo‑>service approach. Air & Space Forces Magazine
Vendor‑by‑vendor quick notes
- Blue Origin — $1.37M REGAL award (Aug. 1, 2025) for P2P analysis; Blue also has a USTRANSCOM CRADA lineage going back to 2021. HigherGov
- Anduril — $1.0M REGAL capabilities study (Aug. 20, 2025) for a universal payload container / reentry concept; aligns with Anduril’s broader push into space systems. HigherGov
- Rocket Lab — AFRL experiment on Neutron with re‑entry demo NET 2026. Spaceflight Now
- Sierra Space — REGAL study to scale Ghost from 150 kg to 5–10 t return vehicle. sierraspace.com
- SpaceX — $102M Rocket Cargo contract (2022) remains the heavyweight anchor; Starship is the obvious candidate for 30–100 t austere‑site delivery. C4ISRNet
Expert quotes you can cite
- Greg Spanjers (AFRL Rocket Cargo PM): “We decided it’s time to make an investment and see if this turns into an operational capability.” Military.com
- Peter Beck (Rocket Lab CEO): “Reentry and rocket reusability is a critical advancement … [the] DoD is highly supportive.” Air & Space Forces Magazine
- Tom Vice (Sierra Space CEO): “The Sierra Space Ghost unlocks scalable point‑to‑point logistics.” sierraspace.com
- USTRANSCOM: Commercial P2P space transport “may provide a unique capability” for rapid global support. amc.af.mil
Sources & further reading
Key contracting records and official notices: Blue Origin FA2385‑25‑C‑B023; Anduril FA2385‑25‑C‑B029; REGAL overview; Federal Register EA/abeyance for Johnston Atoll. Program background and reporting from Air & Space Forces, Spaceflight Now, Breaking Defense, and C4ISRNET. All sources are linked inline above. HigherGov
