SpaceX has dropped its lawsuit against the US Air Force after the government said it would open up its Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) contract to more competition.
The rocket maker filed the legal action back in April, alleging that the block…
SpaceX has dropped its lawsuit against the US Air Force after the government said it would open up its Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) contract to more competition.
The rocket maker filed the legal action back in April, alleging that the block buy contract for government launches was granted to its rival United Launch Alliance on a sole-source basis.
As well as opening up EELV to other providers, the settlement looks set to accelerate the certification process for allowing SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket to carry classified and military payloads.
“Under the agreement, the Air Force will work collaboratively with SpaceX to complete the certification process in an efficient and expedient manner,” said SpaceX in a joint statement with the Air Force.
“This collaborative effort will inform the [Secretary of the Air Force] directed review of the new entrant certification process. The Air Force also has expanded the number of competitive opportunities for launch services under the EELV programme while honouring existing contractual obligations.
“Going forward, the Air Force will conduct competitions consistent with the emergence of multiple certified providers.”
ULA, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, holds 28 missions under its current EELV contract. The number of future missions that will be open to rival bids under the settlement deal was not disclosed.
SpaceX’s lawsuit had at one point helped place a temporary ban on ULA from ordering the Russian RD-180 engines that power its Atlas 5 rockets, because of concerns that the money was going to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who oversees the country’s space industry and is one of the officials sanctioned by the US over its incursions into Ukraine.
Although that ban was soon lifted, ULA recently struck a partnership with low-profile rocket maker Blue Origin to develop a domestic alternative to the RD-180.
US aerospace and defence products maker ATK, which is set to merge with SpaceX competitor Orbital Sciences, has also proposed plans for a solid-fuel engine that could power an Atlas 5.
