Air Force launch procurement under scrutiny

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Lawmakers are calling for an independent review of the Air Force Launch Service Agreement contracts and its strategy to acquire launch services in the coming years. Why?

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Clockwise from left: SpaceX's Falcon Heavy, ULA's Vulcan Centaur, Northrop Grumman's OmegA and Blue Origin's New Glenn rockets are all in the running to compete for a block of launch contracts the U.S. Air Force intends to divide between two providers during phase 2 of the Launch Service Agreements (LSA) program. Credit: SpaceX / ULA / Northrop Grumman / Blue Origin

Military launch poised for new era as Air Force prepares to move beyond EELV

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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.

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An artist's concept of Orbital ATK's OmegA rocket in flight.

Air Force funding three new rockets to compete with SpaceX but only intends to buy launch services from two providers

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Phase 2 of the Launch Service Agreement will be an open competition. All there winners have to compete - or they would have to return their development funds back to the government. SpaceX presumably would bid as well.

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The U.S. Air Force selected ULA, Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems to receive hundreds of millions of dollars apiece to develop new launch vehicles for launching national security payloads Credit: SpaceNews graphic

Air Force awards launch vehicle development contracts to Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman, ULA

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The U.S. Air Force announced on Wednesday it is awarding three contracts collectively worth about $2 billion to Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems and United Launch Alliance to develop launch system prototypes.

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Northrop Grumman Completes First Live Motor Cast for OmegA Rocket_1

Northrop Grumman confident Air Force will continue to fund the company’s new rocket

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Whoever signs up for one of two certification flights for the Omega rocket, will get a ride “at a reduced rate."

Commercial Launch Launch Service AgreementNorthrop Grumman Innovation Systems
OmegA, the rocket formerly known as Next Generation Launch system, is Orbital ATK's answer to intermediate and heavy-lift launchers in the works at ULA, SpaceX and Blue Origin. Credit: Orbital ATK

Orbital ATK selects Aerojet Rocketdyne’s RL10C for newly christened OmegA rocket

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Orbital ATK on Monday revealed new details about the rocket it has been developing over the last three years in an effort to take U.S. Air Force launch contracts away from United Launch Alliance and SpaceX.

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