SpaceX has won an eight-launch, $733 million contract from the U.S. Space Force, as part of an on-going program aimed at bringing some competition into launch services.

The award, announced Friday, calls for seven launches by the Space Development Agency and one by the National Reconnaissance Office, all expected to use Falcon 9s and take place no earlier than 2026.

This mega contract falls under a U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command program dubbed with the catchy name of "National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1." Last year, the third set of contracts was divided between two lanes: Lane 1, for less risky missions and near-Earth orbits; and Lane 2, for heavy-lift missions and more challenging orbits.

The Space Force selected SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, and, somehow, despite not yet getting to orbit, Blue Origin earlier this summer to compete for launches under Lane 1. Lane said at the time that the pool of awardees is small, but hoped that itself could help counterbalance that by letting companies bid on Lane 1 annually. The next chance to enter Lane 1, which should yield a total value of $5.6 billion over five years, is later this year.

In the contract award announcement press release, Lt. Col. Douglas Downs, SSC's materiel leader for space launch procurement, said the force expects to see "increasing competition and diversity" with the ability to on-ramp new providers.

The Phase 3 Lane 1 award period would be from fiscal year 2025 through fiscal year 2029, with the possibility of a five-year extension. The Space Force expects to award at least 30 missions during that time. Perhaps the win is perceived as more than almost certain this time, but it's going to get competitive in a hurry with new launch companies and vehicles coming online in the next few years.