SpaceX files lawsuit against noncompetitive US Air Force launch contract
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.027890
International Business Times : Private rocket company SpaceX has filed a lawsuit in response to the US Air Force signing a satellite-launch contract that wasn’t open to competition for bids. As part of the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program, the air force awarded the contract for 36 launches of spy satellites to United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint effort of Boeing and Lockheed Martin. The SpaceX complaint estimates that each launch will cost $400 million, making the procurement deal the fourth largest in the Department of Defense’s budget. The contract has also been a subject of concern for Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel because of ULA’s use of a Russian engine in its Atlas V rocket. Recent US sanctions against Russian government officials and businesses led Hagel to call for a review of the contract.