This morning , Elon Musk , CEO of SpaceX announce that he has filed a case against the United States Air Force due to an inability to compete for succeeding launches for the Department of Defense . This comes after exhausting other avenue to be able to compete for the contract and fall apart the monopoly .
Back in December , a US government contract was award to the United Launch Alliance ( ULA ) , which is a collaboration between Boeing and Lockheed Martin for interior security launches . The ULA charges the government about $ 3.5 billion annually to execute these launch , though Musk claims SpaceX could do the same job and salve taxpayers at least $ 1 billion each year . That amount of savings could fund 12 F-16 squadrons for an entire twelvemonth .
Musk also sustain that theFalcon 9 rocket launchfor NASA last week had a successful diffused landing place , land them a footprint closer to the creation of a reclaimable garden rocket . A garden rocket capable of a targeted landing place onto its leg could be reset to launch the same daylight . by from the public convenience cistron , this represent a immense savings in the cost of the launch , as rockets do n’t come chintzy . Musk also added another perk of SpaceX rocket over the contest : “ We have the vantage that our Eruca sativa was designed and built in the twenty-first century , whereas [ the vehicle used by the ULA ] was designed in the 90 , with etymon going back to the 70 and LXXX . ”
In addition to the economy SpaceX could bid the taxpayer , Musk note yet another advantage his company had over ULA : domestic production . The SpaceX skyrocket are designed , manufactured , and launched in America . The ULA get about one-half of their rocket components from oversea and the main locomotive itself is actually from Russia . presently , the US government hassanctions against Russian collaborationdue to the battle between Russia and the Ukraine , though ULA CEO Michael Gass claims to have two years deserving of engines stockpiled .
Though SpaceX has accomplished what they require to for earn certification to contend , they were not sacrifice the chance . " The Air Force said we had to do three launches and we did , " Musk tell . " Then they told us they ’d done an uncompeted honor to ULA . That ’s awry . " The conventional protestation seeks for the government to overturn that contract bridge and take into account contender . “ We ’re just resist and saying these launches should be vie , ” he explained . “ And if we compete and fall behind , that ’s all right , but why were they not even compete ? ”
Musk attest before congress in March against the ULA ’s monopoly contract for national security launches . He brought up SpaceX ’s 12 mission , $ 1.6 billion contract with NASA . “ If our rockets are good enough for NASA , why are n’t they good enough for the Air Force ? ” Musk asked . “ It makes no sentiency . ”
