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SpaceX challenges Air Force rocket contracts in court
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The SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle has been used to launch resupply missions to the International Space Station. CEO Elon Musk has filed a bid protest to give SpaceX the chance to compete for contracts for AIr Force satellite launches.
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Photo by alloyjared via Flickr Creative Commons
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Hawthorne-based rocket maker SpaceX has filed a complaint against the Air Force over how it awards contracts for launch vehicles.
The complaint alleges that a recent Air Force contract for military satellite launches was awarded without a competitive bid process.
The Air Force has contracted with the United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin, to complete nearly 40 launches in coming years.
The complaint filed this week in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims seeks to cancel the agreement and reopen the bid process. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says he wants his company to get a crack at the multibillion-dollar business.
The Government Accountability Office has estimated the program to launch national security equipment like spy satellites, will cost about $70 billion through 2030.
SpaceX has contracted with NASA to deliver supplies to the International Space Station, but it has not yet completed required Air Force certification for delivering sensitive national security equipment into space.
ULA is currently the only organization to hold the certification.
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