The Department of Defense is attached to it SpaceX and United Launch Alliance as their two primary launch services for U.S. national security missions for the foreseeable future.
In an announcement Friday (August 7), U.S. Space Force and Air Force officials said SpaceX and ULA have won military launch contracts potentially worth billions to launch national security security over the next five years, with ULA 60 % of satellite launch contracts received and SpaceX 40 received%.
The awards are part of a competition for four-way launch services, known as National Security Space Launch Phase 2 Launch Service Procurement announced in 2018. SpaceX and ULA were up against Northrop Grumman and Blue Origin.
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SpaceX was actually left out of the first round, with the Air Force handing out development dollars to ULA, Northrop Grumman en Blue origin in the amount of $ 967 million, $ 792 million and $ 500 million, respectively. But the California-based rocket builder eventually won a piece of the prize.
“This was an extremely difficult decision and I appreciate the hard work industry has undergone to adapt their commercial launch systems to meet our more stressful national security requirements affordably and reliably,” said Col. Robert Bongiovi, Director of the Space and Missile Systems Center Launch Enterprise, said in a statement.
The Air Force selected SpaceX’s existing Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rocket for national security launches, along with ULA’s new Vulcan Centaur rocket, which is still under development. Currently rumored to be making them first flight in 2021, ULA’s Vulcan Centaur will end the country’s confidence in the Russian – built RD-180 engine currently used by the company’s current workhorse, the Atlas V rocket.
The Department of Defense has sought to end confidence in the Russian engine and ULA received funding for the first round of development to help develop the new missile. The Vulcan Centaur will be powered by a Blue Origin BE-4 engine.
So far, the Air Force has ordered three missions for 2022 under the new deals. SpaceX will earn $ 316 million to launch one mission, designated USSF-67, in the latter part of 2022. ULA received $ 337 million to launch two missions – USSF-51 and USSF-106 – planned for the second and fourth quarters of fiscal year 2022, respectively.
Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman both express disappointment for not being selected in the Phase 2 contracts, but are expected to continue with the development of their respective launched cars. Blue Origin is currently developing a new orbital rocket, the New Glenn, while Northrop Grumman is developing the OmegA booster for future launches.
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