SpaceX vs ULA / USAF Lawsuit

[Beittil]

That is indeed incredibly stinky, I agree. But the way I see it... the DoD/NRO have this certification process and ULA is the only one with a shiny plaque on the wall at its corporate HQ that says they can be a supplier! Surely, SpaceX's is on the way... but until then, ULA can (and will, duh) bid for launches and wins them all because nobody else qualifies (yet)!

 

Perhaps Orbital will some day go for certification as well (if they manage to turn the Antares into something less Russian/Ukranian and more American (should be np with ATK on board now)) and maybe even Blue Origin (if they ever come up with a rocket)... but until then, ULA is the only one and SpaceX is still working to double the field of suppliers! Yes, it is snaky, stinkly, slimy and whatnotmore, but the fact is that there ARE still other launch contracts up for grabs once SpaceX does qualify and I have no reason to doubt they will scoop up some of those!

[DocM]

Stinky as surstr?mming*.

The problem is ULA had a lot of influence in setting up the EELV "qualification rules," so the sheen on that wall plaque is a tad tarnished.

*(Swedish fermented herring - smells like a body farm. Thanks Granny :whistle: )

[IsItPluggedIn]

That is indeed incredibly stinky, I agree. But the way I see it... the DoD/NRO have this certification process and ULA is the only one with a shiny plague on the wall at its corporate HQ that says they can be a supplier! Surely, SpaceX's is on the way... but until then, ULA can (and will, duh) bid for launches and wins them all because nobody else qualifies (yet)!

 

Perhaps Orbital will some day go for certification as well (if they manage to turn the Antares into something less Russian/Ukranian and more American (should be np with ATK on board now)) and maybe even Blue Origin (if they ever come up with a rocket)... but until then, ULA is the only one and SpaceX is still working to double the field of suppliers! Yes, it is snaky, stinkly, slimy and whatnotmore, but the fact is that there ARE still other launch contracts up for grabs once SpaceX does qualify and I have no reason to doubt they will scoop up some of those!

 

But put it this way. If you were going to buy 10 cars, 1 every year for the next 10 years. Would you buy 10 2013 models, or would you buy each model as they came out.

 

The price difference between SpaceX and ULA makes the saving for the block buy not work it even if they use 2 Spacex rockets.

 

Its not about what they can do right now, its what can be sent up on the 10th 20th and 30th rocket. Affectively they got a bulk buy in a few month before SpaceX was ready so they dont have to compete when they are ready. Which if i was in ULA's shoes i would try to get. But not if i was the USAF.

[DocM]

And that takes us back to a sketchy acquisitions officer, eager to make a big deal before retiring to a cushy job at a ULA supplier. A supplier which is also a partner in RD AMROSS, the importer and supplier of RD-180 engines.

[ImUtrecht]

Editorial | Trial by Twitter | SpaceNews.com

 

"Mr. Musk is of course entitled to voice his opinion, and certainly he has a huge stake in this matter. But his public indictment, on the basis of appearance alone, reeks of sour grapes. It was a cheap shot at best; at worst, it was a cynical ploy designed to sell the narrative that SpaceX is not getting a fair shake from the Air Force."

 

"Mister Musk's warrantless accusations..... "   BLA BLA BLA

 

The article comments under this 'editorial' say enough....

 

 

Here is another ULA friend and SLS supporter that writes on his own site "The federal government does not create sustainable job growth; the private sector does.  Rather, the government?s proper role is to create the conditions necessary for private sector job growth." Taxes and Spending - Hot Topics - United States Senator Richard Shelby, Alabama

 

Then he does this.....

Space Access Society Action Alert: Shelby Tries to Wreck Commercial Crew at Parabolic Arc

[DocM]

This and the Forbes blog post make it clear who is in whose pocket.

What's good are the absolutely classic replies they're getting, totally dissecting the writers biases and their work.

[ImUtrecht]

Yep, and these articles were written with an political agenda in mind.

Point is that the Politicians also read these replies complicating things for them.

 

But untill now i hear nothing of a investigation about this revolving door....

[malenfant]

Spin and FUD from ULA. Innovation from SpaceX, with all that entails, good and bad. Innovation is high risk of course, but SpaceX has all of the important pieces of the puzzle already or very nearly in place. They just haven't hit their stride yet. But soon. And then...

[DocM]

ORBCOMM flies on June 12, Launch Gods permitting, and one of the AsiaSats is up in July.

They're entering parallel production of F9 now, doubling their rate, Falcon Heavy #1's 3 cores and upper stage are on the shop floor at Hawthorne, and their Dragon shop is now producing both V1 and V2 (test articles).

DragonFly hops and landings look good for this fall. Soon as F9R Dev-1 finishes up, and its test permit expires in October.

They're also adding 1,000 new people, which will put them at 4,500, and are only months (1.5-6, depending on how fast FAA moves,on the permits) from starting construction at the Brownsville TX spaceport. And there's whispers about another spaceport after Brownsville.

Methinks the stride is closer than some think.

[ImUtrecht]

Here an article of Spacenews

 

Senate Defense Bill Urges Expansion of Launch Competition | SpaceNews.com

 

 

There is an article comment by Joe Smythe that is quite funny and spot on.

 

"The Senate committee also prodded the service toward a launch of the aging weather satellite and removed $87 million from the Air Force?s request to store the spacecraft.

So... why would they want to spend more money storing it in a garage than it would cost SpaceX to just, you know, store it... IN SPACE? Is is Senator Shelby's garage?"

[DocM]

Owwwww, that hurt :)

[ImUtrecht]

Tomorrow will be a national day of mourning for the victims of flight MH17 in the Netherlands. We are sad and angry. First by the loss of life later by the disrespectful way the bodies of the deceased were used for political games.

Poetin says that Russia needs to arm itself against the march of NATO on its borders.   

  In space.com on 17 july   US Too Dependent on Russian Rocket Engines, Experts Tell Lawmakers Should the Russian government yank its supply of rocket engines for United States launches, critical national-security satellite missions could be delayed up to four years, experts told a joint Senate hearing Wednesday (July 16).

 

Well in the last senate hearing we all could hear mr Gass say how ULA made sure that access to space was guarantied. Normally when a contractor can not fulfill it's contract you can terminate it.

[DocM]

There's enough RD-180's in the US for about 2 years, a bit longer with judicious use.

Delta IV and Delta IV Heavy are pretty much unaffected, though expensive because of their liquid hydrogen infrastructure and engines.

SpaceX has USAF approval of its first several flights, and is also undergoing qualification by the USAF and The Aerospace Corporation (a govt advisory nonprofit) - the govt is spending $60-100 million to accelerate this. Meanwhile, KSC LC-39A and Vandenberg SLC-4E are being outfitted for USAF & NRO launches. Vandy for several months now and KSC for several weeks.

Falcon Heavy begins its flights early next year, Then enters USAF qualification itself.

Its also possible events will force USAF and NRO to modernize their qualification provedires and how they integrate satellites, something that's long overdue. They need to do it more like commsats are done.

It won't be 4 years.

[ImUtrecht]

Maximum 4 years...

But the interesting point is how things are changing.

McCain also washed gen Shelton's ears considering his comments about SpaceX.

ULA can not make up to it's promises.

 

Soon there will be more sanctions against Russia.

They will stop exporting those engines soon.

[DocM]

By their numbers by later this year they'll have 2 years 9 months of RD-180's on hand.

Time to get F9 and FH into the mix, then work on a drop in replacement for the RD-180 or (preferrably) a new Atlas.

By then the Blue Origin New Shepard reusable booster may also be flying.

http://www.spacenews.com/article/military-space/41364us-air-force-ponders-accelerating-delta-4-rocket-production

WASHINGTON ? In the face of escalating tensions with Russia, the U.S. Air Force is examining what it would take to accelerate production of United Launch Alliance?s Delta 4 rocket to ensure continued access to space for military satellites.

Gen. William Shelton, commander of Air Force Space Command, told reporters here July 22 that he asked the service?s acquisition arm, the Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base, to look at what type of contract modifications are necessary to ramp up production of Delta 4 rockets.

?It may be time to start thinking seriously about this,? Shelton said, emphasizing that no contract action has been taken to date.

The Delta 4 is one of two rockets the U.S. Defense Department relies on to launch national security payloads. The other is ULA?s Atlas 5, which is powered by the Russian-built RD-180 engine whose future availability has come into question amid the rhetorical exchanges between Moscow and Washington about Russia?s annexation of Crimea and continued meddling in Ukraine.

Shelton, who oversees Air Force space operations and procurement, and ULA have both said they see no signs of a slowdown in shipments of the RD-180, produced by NPO Energomash and imported to the United States by RD-Amross, a joint venture of Energomash and United Technologies Corp. of Hartford, Connecticut. But that has not stopped what Shelton described as ?prudent planning? against the possibility that the pipeline dries up.

Michael Gass, ULA?s president and chief executive, said in June that the company has already begun the preliminary work necessary to accelerate the Delta 4 production at the company?s main rocket plant in Decatur, Alabama.

Shelton said the situation in Ukraine, underscored by the recent shootdown of a Malaysian commercial jetliner by what U.S. government officials say were Russian-equipped Ukrainian separatists, has diminished his confidence that RD-180 deliveries will continue unabated.

?The events of the last couple of weeks give us even more pause,? Shelton said. ?They certainly call into question the continued supply of RD-180 engines.?

Already, ULA has accelerated the delivery of five engines it was expected to receive in November. Two of those engines are now expected to arrive in Alabama in August with three more to follow in September or October.

Currently, ULA has 15 RD-180 engines in its possession, enough for about two years worth of Atlas 5 missions. The new engines arriving this fall would give the Air Force another nine months of cushion, Shelton said.

Without the Atlas 5, the Air Force would rely on the Delta 4 and, eventually, Space Exploration Technologies Corp.?s Falcon 9, once that vehicle is certified to carry military payloads. The Air Force certification process is expected to wrap up in December at the earliest.

But the disruption to the Air Force?s launch manifest resulting from an RD-180 cutoff could cost the service $1.5 billion to $5 billion, Shelton said. This funding would be needed to cover the cost of storing delayed satellites and the higher prices associated with the Delta 4 rocket.

?Here we are in what appears to be a rainy day potentially,? Shelton said.

>

[DocM]

Court DENIES motion to dismiss SpaceX lawsuit, orders disclosures.

Court ruling....(2 page PDF)

On or before August 8, 2014, under seal, the Government will provide Plaintiff?s counsel with documents identifying the missions that the United States Air Force (?Air Force?) has ordered or intends to order under the ?block buy? contract, together with sufficient technical information to allow Plaintiff to determine whether and when it can perform those missions. The Government also will. disclose to Plaintiff?s counsel an outline of activity under the ?block buy? contract, including launch vehicle orders and monetary outlays, for the next six months.

[DocM]

The plot thickens....ULA CEO replaced (fired)

Washington Post....

United Launch Alliance names new CEO

Michael Gass, who has served as the president and chief executive officer of United Launch Alliance since it was founded in 2006, is being replaced by Tory Bruno, a longtime aerospace executive, the company announced Tuesday.

The move comes as ULA, a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing, has been targeted by Elon Musk?s start-up, SpaceX, which is suing the government for the right to compete against ULA under a contract to launch defense payloads into space. Musk has said the contract, which was awarded to ULA on a sole-source basis, should be canceled and rebid.

Gass recently helped spearhead an effort to push back against the attacks, highlighting ULA?s years of successful launches over SpaceX?s relative inexperience.

?Mike?s track record speaks for itself: 86 successful launches in a row, including many of our nation?s most complex and critical space missions,? said Rick Ambrose, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Space Systems and a ULA board member.

Bruno joins the company from Lockheed Martin, where he was vice president and general manager of Strategic and Missile Defense Systems.