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Air Force soon to announce decision on future launch vehicles
Posted on 8/31/18 at 6:02 pm
Posted on 8/31/18 at 6:02 pm
LINK
Three rocket manufacturers — SpaceX, Orbital ATK (now Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems) and United Launch Alliance — as well as propulsion system supplier Aerojet Rocketdyne received an initial round of research and development contracts. Now the Air Force will have to decide who stays and who goes for the next phase of the program. A new player is now in the mix as Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin reportedly submitted a proposal for its New Glenn rocket.
None of the companies would comment for this story due to the sensitivity of the competition. The Air Force first planned to announce LSA awards in July. Industry sources told SpaceNews that the decision was delayed as the Air Force needed more time to evaluate Blue Origin’s bid.
By most accounts SpaceX is guaranteed to get a piece of the overall LSA funding, estimated at approximately a billion dollars over several years. The Air Force’s most trusted launch supplier, ULA, also is expected to be selected even though it is offering a new vehicle that may not be ready to fly until 2020. The big question is who might get the third award. One source speculated that the Air Force could award Northrop Grumman a contract to keep its Omega rocket alive but might also give Blue Origin seed money to ensure it has some say in the development of New Glenn.
Three rocket manufacturers — SpaceX, Orbital ATK (now Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems) and United Launch Alliance — as well as propulsion system supplier Aerojet Rocketdyne received an initial round of research and development contracts. Now the Air Force will have to decide who stays and who goes for the next phase of the program. A new player is now in the mix as Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin reportedly submitted a proposal for its New Glenn rocket.
None of the companies would comment for this story due to the sensitivity of the competition. The Air Force first planned to announce LSA awards in July. Industry sources told SpaceNews that the decision was delayed as the Air Force needed more time to evaluate Blue Origin’s bid.
By most accounts SpaceX is guaranteed to get a piece of the overall LSA funding, estimated at approximately a billion dollars over several years. The Air Force’s most trusted launch supplier, ULA, also is expected to be selected even though it is offering a new vehicle that may not be ready to fly until 2020. The big question is who might get the third award. One source speculated that the Air Force could award Northrop Grumman a contract to keep its Omega rocket alive but might also give Blue Origin seed money to ensure it has some say in the development of New Glenn.
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Posted on 8/31/18 at 6:08 pm to DavidTheGnome
Space travel should have been privatized long ago.
Wouldn’t bother me if NASA just stuck to finding asteroids and comets that could hit Earth.
Wouldn’t bother me if NASA just stuck to finding asteroids and comets that could hit Earth.
Posted on 8/31/18 at 6:11 pm to Fourteen28
quote:
NASA just stuck to finding asteroids and comets that could hit Earth.
Needs to be a lot more invested in this. They track this stuff but not near to the extent we need (as chelyabinsk demonstrated).
And shut down the ISS (privatize it really) and divert that money to doing real science/exploration in space
This post was edited on 8/31/18 at 6:13 pm
Posted on 8/31/18 at 6:15 pm to DavidTheGnome
I’m hoping that Bezos gets the deal. Northrop Grumman doesn’t need more government contracts, nor does this really seem like a defense agenda. Idk anything about United Launch Alliance. Aerojet probably isn’t qualified in my opinion. And of course SpaceX is qualified, but I don’t like the idea of giving public money to a company that had been living off the idea that “space has enough value for the private industry without public funding”. To me if Elon is gonna take more public money, he can’t completely justify space as valuable to the private industry at this time
Edit: a part of me is really excited for the idea that Bezos could lead the efforts on the “space elevator”. Now I don’t mean in the literal sense of using a cable from Earth to space, but I do think Bezos could prioritize making it much more efficient to move things from Earth to space, which would enable us to have large scale missions to other planets much easier, if a large amount of our cargo was already in space and could be somehow attached to our vehicle once in space
Edit: a part of me is really excited for the idea that Bezos could lead the efforts on the “space elevator”. Now I don’t mean in the literal sense of using a cable from Earth to space, but I do think Bezos could prioritize making it much more efficient to move things from Earth to space, which would enable us to have large scale missions to other planets much easier, if a large amount of our cargo was already in space and could be somehow attached to our vehicle once in space
This post was edited on 8/31/18 at 6:20 pm
Posted on 8/31/18 at 6:15 pm to DavidTheGnome
quote:
Needs to be a lot more invested in this. They track this stuff but not near to the extent we need (as chelyabinsk demonstrated). And shut down the ISS (privatize it really) and divert that money to doing real science/exploration in space
#preach
Posted on 8/31/18 at 7:22 pm to Fourteen28
This topic hasn’t gotten much interest. It sucks, David has a good topic and it gets pushed down the board bc there’s no truck nuts on rockets... yet
Posted on 8/31/18 at 7:25 pm to DavidTheGnome
We need a moon base
Posted on 8/31/18 at 8:46 pm to Upperdecker
quote:
future launch vehicles
quote:
truck nuts
Somewhere between the two is a 10 page thread.
You have to present it correctly to get any traction.
Posted on 8/31/18 at 8:49 pm to DavidTheGnome
I have a crazy idea. How about the government understands it can and should hire and retain the brightest people rather than contract it to the private sector?
At one time it was an honor to work for the government.
At one time it was an honor to work for the government.
Posted on 8/31/18 at 8:54 pm to ThatMakesSense
quote:
How about the government understands it can and should hire and retain the brightest people rather than contract it to the private sector?
Because competition makes things less costly and more innovative
This post was edited on 8/31/18 at 8:55 pm
Posted on 8/31/18 at 9:12 pm to RogerTheShrubber
Exactly, the private sector has been huge in developing a cheaper way to orbit. Competition drives innovation, for those that want space developed this is the only way it realistically happens.
Posted on 8/31/18 at 9:16 pm to RogerTheShrubber
quote:
Because competition makes things less costly and more innovative
I agree. I think its a bad look at the end of the day.
If you like what you do, $$ shouldn't matter, go work on the public sector and be an all-star. Recognition, shouldn't matter.
Posted on 8/31/18 at 9:22 pm to ThatMakesSense
More innovation at a lower cost is a bad look? I’m not following that at all..
Posted on 8/31/18 at 9:25 pm to ThatMakesSense
quote:
think its a bad look at the end of the day.
Posted on 8/31/18 at 9:26 pm to DavidTheGnome
quote:
More innovation at a lower cost is a bad look? I’m not following that at all..
Yes. When the government needs to go and buy their tech, it sure is. IMO, it's saying, 'let someone else do the leg work, with subsisides and then we buy it'
It still costing $$$ all the way around.
The this new tech will be put in the hands of people who, creatively couldn't figure it out, and expected to run smoothly?
Good luck.
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