Space X stuff

Source: SpaceX calls ULA NASA launch contract "vastly" overpriced in official protest

SpaceX has filed an official protest with the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) after NASA awarded competitor United Launch Alliance a launch contract for Lucy, an interplanetary probe meant to explore a belt of unique asteroids clustered around Jupiter’s orbital swath.

Announced on January 31st, SpaceX believes that NASA made a decision counter to the best interests of the agency and US taxpayers by rewarding ULA the Lucy launch contract at a cost of $148M, a price that the company deemed “vastly more [expensive]” than the bid it submitted for the competition.
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Source: Pentagon’s inspector general to launch probe into certification of SpaceX rockets … but it’s unclear why

The Pentagon’s inspector general is launching an investigation as to whether the U.S. Air Force improperly certified SpaceX launch systems, it announced Monday.

“Our objective is to determine whether the U.S. Air Force complied with the Launch Services New Entrant Certification Guide when certifying the launch system design for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle-class SpaceX Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launch vehicles,” Michael Roark, deputy inspector general for intelligence and special program assessments, wrote in a memo addressed to Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson.

Exactly what is prompting this review is unclear. The IG’s memo does not specify what, if anything, raised suspicions about the Air Force’s 2015 certification of Falcon 9 and 2018 certification of Falcon Heavy.
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Gosh darn, you don't suppose Space X having a cheaper, more advanced launch system might play a role?

Bob Wilson

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