EELV

EELV Phase 2 and Blue Origin: Where’s the Congressional Curiosity?

EELV Phase 2 and Blue Origin: Where’s the Congressional Curiosity?

Responding to a letter from Congressman Mike Rogers, (R) Al, the GAO has released a report summarizing a presentation made before the House Armed Services Committee on June 6. The report, which is focused on the space launch capabilities of other nations, was requested as the Air Force prepares to structure the next phase of […]

SpaceX Receives Certification For National Security Launches (Finally)

SpaceX Receives Certification For National Security Launches (Finally)

The Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) launches aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 After nine years, two lawsuits and 18 successful Falcon 9 launches, SpaceX has received certification to compete for national security launches. Here is the press release from the Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs LOS ANGELES AIR FORCE BASE, El Segundo, Calif. (AFNS) […]

Posted in: EELV, SpaceX
SpaceX, ULA and the Delta IV

SpaceX, ULA and the Delta IV

Delta Heavy / Image Credit United Launch Alliance An Innerspace Editorial: In what seems to be becoming something of an annual affair, it was SpaceX versus United Launch Alliance Round earlier this week in Washington D.C. Last year, SpaceX’s Elon Musk and ULA’s Michael Gass squared off against each other in a highly contentious Senate […]

Dismissal Denied, SpaceX Lawsuit Against ULA Block Buy Goes On

Dismissal Denied, SpaceX Lawsuit Against ULA Block Buy Goes On

On April 28, 2014, SpaceX filed a lawsuit in the United States Court of Federal Claims seeking to block the USAF “block buy” of 36 rocket cores from the EELV program’s sole source provider United Launch Alliance. After a series of legal maneuvers which included a temporary injunction, soon dismissed, against further purchases of Russian […]

More Good News for SpaceX and a Billion Dollar “Subsidy” for ULA

More Good News for SpaceX and a Billion Dollar “Subsidy” for ULA

Image Credit: SpaceX SpaceX’s really good Tuesday, which saw the company win a potential $2.6 billion dollar share of NASA’s Commercial Crew program was also highlighted by an advance in another of the company’s long sought goals. Amid all the publicity surrounding the NASA award,  Space News reported that the Air Force believes the company […]

Air Force New Engine RFI Ignores Reusability

Air Force New Engine RFI Ignores Reusability

Image Credit: SpaceX Innerspace Commentary: On Wednesday, United Launch Alliance took delivery of two more Russian built RD-180 rocket engines destined for the Atlas V. They were delivered to Huntsville, Al. aboard an Antonov cargo plane in a depressingly routine procedure. Curiously, even though Congress is in recess, none of the Alabama delegation; Mo Brooks, […]

Posted in: Editorials, EELV
SpaceX / ULA Fight Moves to DEFCON 2

SpaceX / ULA Fight Moves to DEFCON 2

The battle over the USAF Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program took a new turn Thursday evening with a blistering series of tweets from Elon Musk, made in response to a report regarding a contracting official deeply involved in the award. The story, linked to in the Musk tweet says in part: “From March 2011 […]

SpaceX Suing to Stop EELV Block Buy

SpaceX Suing to Stop EELV Block Buy

Well, it wasn’t about Mars Colonial Transport, or even the official reveal of Dragon 2.0. Instead today’s SpaceX press conference held at the National Press Club, and delivered by Elon Musk, was primarily to announce the fact that SpaceX is filing a lawsuit in the US Court of Federal Claims in an attempt to halt […]

Two More Questions SpaceX Might Have Asked of ULA

Two More Questions SpaceX Might Have Asked of ULA

In the six weeks which have passed since SpaceX’s Elon Musk and ULA’s Michael Gass squared off in Congressional testimony over the EELV program, SpaceX has completed another successful mission with the Falcon 9, the ninth overall and the fourth of the Falcon 9 V1.1/ F-9R. ULA has also completed two more launches, both by […]

Annual GAO Report Highlights Exploding Costs of EELV

Annual GAO Report Highlights Exploding Costs of EELV

“Over the past year, the 80 programs of the 2013 portfolio have grown by a total of $12.6 billion, a net cost increase nearly all attributable to the significant procurement cost associated with one program—the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle.” And that’s just from the front page. In what is becoming a repeated annual refrain, the […]

Posted in: EELV
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