The U.S. Air Force has awarded United Launch Alliance (ULA) of Denver a sole-source contract worth $939 million to cover certain overhead costs related to launching military satellites during fiscal year 2014, according to an Oct. 22 posting on the Federal Business Opportunities website.
As prime contractor on the Air Force’s Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program, ULA, a Boeing-Lockheed Martin joint venture, launches virtually all operational U.S. national security satellites. The newly awarded contract covers “mission assurance, program management, systems engineering, integration of the space vehicle with the launch vehicle, launch site and range operations, and launch infrastructure maintenance and sustainment,” the Air Force said.
The award does not cover rocket hardware, or certain labor or software costs associated with individual launches. These items are covered under a different contract called EELV Launch Services.
