U.S. Air Force, National Reconnaissance Office, NASA issue MOU enabling new companies to compete for launch services contracts

Posted by Courtney E. Howard HAWTHORNE, Calif., 15 Oct. 2011. Officials from the U.S. Air Force, U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), and NASA have jointly agreed upon a process whereby new companies can compete to provide launch services. NASA executives have lately issued requests for proposals (RFPs) for upcoming contract awards, including those relevant to the Space Launch System (SLS) program. Air Force, NRO, and NASA officials have issued a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the process by which new companies can compete to deliver launch services; the MOU will be followed by detailed guidance for prospective new entrants.

Many aerospace professionals have long waited for just such an MOU, and a potential end to what has been considered by many to be a monopoly on the largest launch customer in the world, the Air Force. Equitable criteria for new entrants, coupled with meaningful opportunities for competition, would save the American taxpayer billions, argues a representative of Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX). Officials of the Hawthorne, Calif.-based company plan to compete to provide launch services.

“Fair and open competition for commercial launch providers is an essential element of protecting taxpayer dollars,” says Elon Musk, SpaceX CEO. “Our American-made Falcon vehicles can deliver assured, responsive access to space that will meet warfighter needs while reducing costs for our military customers.”

“SpaceX welcomes the opportunity to compete for Air Force launches. We are reviewing the MOU, and we expect to have a far better sense of our task after the detailed requirements are released in the coming weeks,” explains Adam Harris, SpaceX vice president of government affairs.