Tuesday, November 17, 2015

SpaceX Only Bidder In Air Force Launch Contract

Hawthorne, California-based SpaceX, the commercial spacecraft and rocket developer led by Elon Musk, looks to be the only bidder in a U.S. Air Force contract, to send a next generation GPS satellite into space. The move comes as competitor United Launch Alliance (ULA) declined to put in a bid, as a result of being unable to use a Russian built RD-180 engine as part of the bid. Congress passed legislation last year requiring that the Air Force phase out use of the Russian rocket, after Russia's actions in Ukraine.