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from the Evolved-Expendable-Launch-Vehicle...-made-with-reusable-boosters dept.
The U.S. Air Force will award five contracts for satellite launches later this year as part of its Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program:
The U.S. Air Force announced plans to award space launch contracts later this year for five satellites that include some of the military's most sensitive big-ticket payloads.
The competition comes less than two years since SpaceX became a legitimate competitor in a market that used to be entirely owned by United Launch Alliance, a partnership of Lockheed Martin and The Boeing Company. If SpaceX is able to win at least one or two launches in this next round of contracts, it would further cement its standing as a market disruptor and set the stage for the company to win even more military work when the larger Falcon Heavy rocket gets certified to fly government payloads.
The Air Force on Wednesday released a final request for proposals for Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) launch services for two National Reconnaissance Office payloads, the fifth Space-Based Infrared System geosynchronous Earth orbit satellite, an Air Force Space Command mission dubbed AFSPC-44 and a secret surveillance mission code-named SilentBarker. Proposals are due April 16 and contracts are expected to be awarded in late 2018.
The Air Force recently stated that they "did not identify any information that would change SpaceX's Falcon 9 certification status" despite the recent failure of a secret "Zuma" payload to separate from a Falcon 9 rocket.
SpaceX, which is behind schedule in building a new launch facility at Boca Chica beach near Brownsville, Texas, has requested $5 million in additional funding from state lawmakers:
SpaceX isn't talking, but a state representative said the company's request for additional state funds could point to an expansion of SpaceX's plans for its Boca Chica Beach launch site.
[...] Hawthorne, Calif.-based SpaceX broke ground on its Boca Chica Beach launch site 23 miles east of Brownsville in September 2014, with the first launch initially targeted for 2016. Later it was discovered that the site required stabilization, and the company trucked in 310,000 cubic yards of soil over months. Development also has been slowed by the company's focus on repairing and refurbishing its Cape Canaveral launch site that was damaged by an explosion in September 2016.
[The Falcon Heavy • Demo Flight is currently scheduled for Tuesday February 6 with a launch window of 1830-2130 UTC (1:30-4:30 p.m. EST) from launch site LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida. --Ed.]
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday February 02 2018, @05:19PM (3 children)
Are they really going to compete on price, or on congressmen?
> Later it was discovered that the site required stabilization
No shit, Sherlock. I hope they mean "even more stabilization", because just looking at that area on a map (right by the border between Texas and Mexico at the sea), it's pretty friggin' obvious that it's gonna need a lot of stabilization, and I know nada about the topic.
They'll need lots of bug spray, and a 1km tall wall to protect the rockets from cartels taking pot shots with Cal-50 from the other side of the border, too.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Immerman on Friday February 02 2018, @05:26PM (2 children)
Why would cartels take pot-shots? There's no profit in it, and much potential to attract unwanted attention. Besides, they're going to want to be on SpaceX's good side once the "pot shots" are slang recreational moon base supplies...
(Score: 4, Funny) by bob_super on Friday February 02 2018, @05:40PM (1 child)
If I was any good at conspiracy theories, I'd point out that cartels like money. Someone could (continue to) make hundreds of millions, even billions, if SpaceX rockets failed just a bit too often.
But that doesn't sound plausible enough to be a good conspiracy theory. No US citizen or company would ever willingly associate with disreputable people to sabotage a competitor, for mere hundreds of millions of dollars of gains.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Friday February 02 2018, @06:44PM
Or billions of dollars in gains.
If SpaceX launches from a certain facility had a higher than usual failure rate that would raise suspicions.
When SpaceX had the spectacular flaming ground explosion, they considered everything. Including sabotage, which was mentioned. And talk was about a laser rather than a pellet gun.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.