EELV
Air Force launch commander ‘not confident’ GPS 3 will lift off Wednesday
45th Space Wing Commander: “We are now working with General Thompson’s folks and SpaceX to see whether we can launch tomorrow."
Military launch poised for new era as Air Force prepares to move beyond EELV
The U.S. Air Force is moving into the next chapter of military space launch — competitive procurement of launch services from a wider field of commercial vendors with entirely U.S.-made rockets.
Government agencies prepare for piggyback flights, secondary payloads
Ten years after then-U.S. Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne called for maximizing use of secondary payload adapters to launch small satellites on large rockets, the Air Force, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are working together to make that happen.
Air Force soon to announce decision on future launch vehicles
GAO’s Cristina Chaplain: The Air Force will be challenged to sustain two suppliers, let alone three or four.
Air Force aims for reliable launch services in spite of dramatic changes in commercial, military space
In the future, the U.S. Air Force will launch satellites of all different sizes for customers with varying degrees of risk tolerance.
Congressional auditors raise red flags on EELV costs, national security launch industrial base
GAO: “Implementing a strategy to support multiple launch providers may prove challenging."
Is the cost of military space programs going up or down? Depends on how you count
For the space-based infrared SBIRS satellites 5 and 6, the Air Force says the per-unit cost went down 12 percent — from $1.9 billion to $1.6 billion.
Op-Ed | Matching our launch infrastructure to affordable and resilient space systems
As the National Security Space community implements resiliency and disaggregation, and as we take advantage of the rapid acceleration of technology, it appears we are moving toward smaller, shorter life, and more numerous satellite programs.
House members ask Pentagon to stay the course on launch vehicle development
A bipartisan group of 20 House members has asked the Defense Department not to alter the U.S. Air Force’s plans to fund development of new launch systems.
Inspector General to begin study of Air Force launch program
The Defense Department’s Inspector General announced June 15 it would begin an investigation next month into whether the Air Force’s primary launch program is meeting widely-adopted quality and safety standards.
House appropriators want Air Force to buy fewer launches next year
A $517 billion defense spending bill the U.S. House Appropriations Committee will mark up May 17 cuts nearly $500 million from the Air Force's main launch budget.
SpaceX wins $82 million contract for 2018 Falcon 9 launch of GPS 3 satellite
SpaceX has won an $82.7 million contract from the U.S. Air Force to launch a next-generation GPS satellite aboard its Falcon 9 rocket in May 2018, the first of nine competitive launch awards the Defense Department plans to make in the next three years.
Letter | Former EELV manager takes issue with Lexington’s Air Force launch op-ed
Daniel Gouré’s op-ed “Why Does The Air Force Want To Destroy The Struggling U.S. Space Launch Business?” is inaccurate and misleading.
Op-ed | ULA: Failure of Merger and Monopoly
The United Launch Alliance merger has failed to generate any of its promised benefits or economies. It is time to use DoD’s inherent national security authority along with the commission’s market authority to order a division of ULA.
Air Force Launch Competition To Include Missile Warning Satellite
GPS missions will comprise the bulk of the launches, but a missile warning satellite and an unidentified payload will also be in the mix.
