SpaceX sues U.S. Air Force over rocket-building contractsMay 23, 2019 - 10:36 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX accused the U.S. Air Force of breaking contracting rules when it awarded money to three rocket makers but passed on Musk’s rival bid, and said the tender should be reopened, according to a court filing unsealed on Wednesday, May 22, Reuters reports. In the complaint, Space Exploration Technologies Corp said contracts were awarded for three “unbuilt, unflown” rocket systems that would not be ready to fly under the government’s timeline, “defeating the very objectives” outlined by the Air Force’s program. SpaceX asked the court to force the Air Force to reopen the $2.3 billion Launch Service Agreements competition and reconsider the Hawthorne, California-based company’s proposal. The agreement is part of a Department of Defense initiative to assure constant military access to space and curb reliance on Russian-made RD-180 engines. In the watershed race for dominance in the space industry, new entrants including SpaceX and billionaire Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, compete for lucrative contracts for military launch services. The arena has been long dominated by incumbents like Boeing Co-Lockheed Martin Corp’s United Launch Alliance (ULA). ULA was granted $967 million under the program for developing its heavy-lift Vulcan rocket, Blue Origin won $500 million for its New Glenn rocket, and Northrop Grumman Corp was awarded $791.6 million for its OmegA rocket development. In separate court filings this week, all three companies argued they should be parties to the lawsuit because of their direct financial interest in its outcome. A SpaceX spokesperson said the company sued to “ensure a level playing field for competition.” Representatives for the Air Force and ULA did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Blue Origin declined to comment. SpaceX’s complaint was filed with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims last Friday under seal, along with a request for the court to keep the proceedings secret under a protective order, citing proprietary information. A redacted complaint was filed Wednesday. SpaceX alleged the Air Force broke contracting rules on five different counts and asked the court to halt deliveries of the award to the three companies and force a re-evaluation of the proposals. The Air Force rejected a formal objection from SpaceX in April regarding the terms of the awards. SpaceX has sued the government over contracts before, most prominently in 2014 to protest a multibillion-dollar, non-compete contract for 36 rocket launches to United Launch Alliance. It dropped the lawsuit after the Air Force agreed to open up the competition. Top stories Yerevan will host the 2024 edition of the World Congress On Information Technology (WCIT). Rustam Badasyan said due to the lack of such regulation, the state budget is deprived of VAT revenues. Krisp’s smart noise suppression tech silences ambient sounds and isolates your voice for calls. Gurgen Khachatryan claimed that the "illegalities have been taking place in 2020." Partner news Most popular in the section | Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Azerbaijan must respect human rights, Scholz tells Aliyev German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for greater respect for human rights in Azerbaijan. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. |