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Blue Origin Urges U.S. Air Force to Delay Launch Provider Decision

posted by chromas on Wednesday April 10 2019, @04:59PM   
from the wait-for-me! dept.

takyon writes:

Blue Origin urging Air Force to postpone launch competition

Blue Origin wants the U.S. Air Force to wait until 2021 before picking the two companies it intends [to] use for launching critical military satellites in the decade ahead.

The Air Force, however, aims to solicit proposals this spring and choose its two preferred launch providers in 2020 — perhaps a year or more before the new rockets that the Air Force is fostering at Blue Origin, United Launch Alliance and Northrop Grumman make their first flights.

All three companies were chosen in October by the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center to share $2.3 billion in so-called Launch Service Agreement (LSA) funding to support development of next-generation rockets capable of meeting the military's satellite launch needs.

The Air Force said last fall that all three LSA winners plus SpaceX would be required to submit new proposals in 2019 if they want to be among the two providers the Air Force intends to select in 2020 to split up to 25 future launch contracts.

Wait long enough, and maybe Starship will become a contender.

See also: The Air Force will soon take bids for mid-2020s launches. It's controversial

Related: Blue Origin to Compete to Launch U.S. Military Payloads
The Military Chooses Which Rockets It Wants Built for the Next Decade

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Original Submission

• Get to orbit Get to orbit (Score: 3, Insightful) by Snow on Wednesday April 10 2019, @05:09PM (2 children)

  by Snow (1601) on Wednesday April 10 2019, @05:09PM (#827513) Journal

  Maybe he should get to orbit first instead of just going up and down. Then maybe people will take him more seriously.

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• Re:Get to orbit Re:Get to orbit (Score: 3, Insightful) by bob_super on Wednesday April 10 2019, @07:43PM (1 child)

  by bob_super (1357) on Wednesday April 10 2019, @07:43PM (#827591)

  Definitely true.
  But at the speed the space industry is going, I would not want to lock a purchase of 25 launches right now, if it was my cash.
  Award 5 to 10 launches now, as it is likely that in three to fours years the prices will drop with more launchers on the market.

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  • Re:Get to orbit (Score: 3, Touché) by DannyB on Wednesday April 10 2019, @08:21PM

    by DannyB (5839) on Wednesday April 10 2019, @08:21PM (#827601) Journal

    if it was my cash.

    But it is the taxpayer's cash. Therefore it is available in absolutely unlimited amounts!

    So why not do things inefficiently -- if that inefficiency can profit you. ala Boeing.

    Your post simply is too practical and sensible to ever become reality.

    --
    The thing about landline phones is that they never get lost. No air tag necessary.

    Parent