SpaceX Now used rockets can launch national security satellites.
Elon Musk’s company has just moved to the U.S. Has signed an agreement with Space Force to improve the next two GPS. Allows use of satellite Falcon 9 booster With the first phase of preflon. It is the first for a national security payload, and will result in savings of about 53 53 million for American taxpayers on both flights, Space Force officials said.
Gwynn Shotwell, President and Chief Operating Practitioner of SpaceX, said in a statement emailed by Space Force today (Sept. 25) that SpaceX is proud to benefit from the Falcon 9’s flight-proven advantages and capabilities for the National Security Space Launch Mission.
“We appreciate the efforts invested by U.S. Space Force for evaluation and they are pleased to see the benefits of the technology,” Shotwell said. “Our extensive experience with reuse has allowed SpaceX to constantly upgrade the fleet and save significant valuable tax dollars on this launch.”
Related: See the evolution of SpaceX’s rocket in the pictures
SpaceX regularly lands and refills the first stage of the workhorse, the two-stage Falcon 9. Powerful Falcon heavy, Which has only launched three times to date, is reusable. (The Falcon Heavy is essentially the first phase of the three Falcon 9, with a modified central booster in the second phase.)
Today’s announcement marks the second step in the growing acceptance of space force reusable rocket technology. The military’s Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) had earlier amended the agreement to allow SpaceX to land the Falcon 9 in the first phase during the GPS launch.
The company did it The GPS III-SV03 mission this past June, And it’s GPS again. It plans to do so for III-SV04, which will take off next Tuesday (Sept. 29).
Changes to the new agreement GPS. III-SV05 and GPS III-SV06 allow satellites to ride with the first phase above the Falcon 9s, which will return to Earth after working upwards. Those two launches are set to take place sometime next year.
The lawyer, who is also the head and frequent mission director of SMC’s Falcon Systems and rations operations division, said in the same statement, “SMC’s commitment to work with the new partnership and the commercial sector while maintaining our mission assurance posture and mission-success record cannot be underestimated.”
“I am proud of our partnership with SpaceX that will allow us to successfully negotiate contract changes for the next GPS III mission, successfully saving taxpayers 52.7 million while maintaining an unprecedented record of success,” Lauderdale said.
Mike W. Wall is the author of “Out There” (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Carl Tate), a book about the quest for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @Mamildld. Follow us on Twitter @speed.com or Facebook.
