Tag: EELV

SpaceX Drops Block Buy Lawsuit in Exchange for “Expanded Competitive Opportunties”

SpaceX Drops Block Buy Lawsuit in Exchange for “Expanded Competitive Opportunties”

Only a few days after officially entering mediation, SpaceX has agreed to drop its lawsuit against the Air Force’s block buy of 36 launch cores from ULA under the EELV program. Here a joint statement released by SpaceX the Air Force: “The Air Force and SpaceX have reached agreement on a path forward for the […]

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 […]

SpaceX Wins First NASA Science Launch Award

SpaceX Wins First NASA Science Launch Award

Image Credit: SpaceX While SpaceX’s effort to break into the EELV launch market has garnered a great deal of media attention, the company has also been working quietly to earn a spot as a trusted supplier of launch services for NASA’s high profile science missions. With today’s announcement the company has officially crossed that threshold. […]

Posted in: NASA, SpaceX
Reuters Investigation Sheds New Light on Russian Engine Deal

Reuters Investigation Sheds New Light on Russian Engine Deal

Michal Gass, Former President and CEO of United Launch Alliance Following up on questions posed in a letter by U.S. Senator John McCain to the US Air Force chief of acquisitions, Reuters has been looking closer into the United Launch Alliance RD-180 issue, and the mysterious five person company RD-Amross, which serves as the Russian […]

Hold On A Minute! SNC Files New Motion for Dream Chaser

Hold On A Minute! SNC Files New Motion for Dream Chaser

Still Holding On:  Image Credit Sierra Nevada Corporation. The Wall Street Journal (yes, Andy Pasztor) reports that Sierra Nevada has taken its protest of NASA’s Commercial Crew award to a new level. According to the story, SNC has filed a motion with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C. seeking to prevent NASA […]

SpaceX Breaks Ground, Dragon Berths and a New Era Begins

SpaceX Breaks Ground, Dragon Berths and a New Era Begins

Artists Rendering of South Texas Launch Pad: Credit SpaceX Drawing a dramatic seven day period to a close, the SpaceX CRS-4 Dragon spacecraft was successfully berthed to the International Space Station at 8:21 am CDT this morning. One week ago today, SpaceX was named one of two winners in the final phase of NASA’s Commercial […]

Posted in: SpaceX
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, the Air Force and Mediation

SpaceX, the Air Force and Mediation

Late last week, SpaceX’s lawsuit against the U.S. Air Force regarding the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Program took a bit of a surprising turn when Federal Judge Susan Braden ordered both parties to enter into mediation. While the Judge has not ruled on a previous motion to dismiss filed by the Air Force, she did […]

Posted in: Editorials, SpaceX
Air Force Certifies Three SpaceX Launches

Air Force Certifies Three SpaceX Launches

Image Credit SpaceX Coming three days before a Monday, July 14 attempt to launch six small Orbcomm OG-2 satellites out of Cape Canaveral, SpaceX announced today that the Air Force has certified the Falcon 9 launch system “as having conducted three successful flights, a prerequisite for companies seeking to win business from the Air Force’s […]

Posted in: SpaceX
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