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The US Air Force revolutionized the rocket industry by announcing a $ 500 million contract for Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin space company.
The money will be used to fund the development of the new Glenn rocket, to enable it to demonstrate its ability to carry military satellites and spying in space.
The US military intends to select two rocket companies for the launch of its spacecraft from 2020. The Pentagon also today awarded a $ 792 million development contract to Northrop Grumman for a rocket called Omega, as well as a $ 967 million contract to United Launch Alliance, Boeing and Lockheed Martin, to build a rocket called Centaur Vulcain. Vulcan will use the same engine as New Glenn, thanks to a formalized supply agreement last month.
SpaceX, which broke ULA's monopoly on military launches after suing the US Air Force, did not win a development contract, which surprised many industry observers. SpaceX can still compete for national security launch contracts in 2020 because the contracts awarded today are simply designed to develop rockets that can meet the requirements of future missions.
SpaceX did not respond to requests for comments and the US Air Force would not comment on companies that did not contract.
This announcement comes after years of Air Force deliberations on how to ensure that it can still launch and operate satellites that provide the US Armed Forces with navigation, communication and guidance benefits.
In 2006, during a previous rocket purchase operation, the Pentagon had been forced to grant ULA the monopoly of rocket launches in order to keep it afloat after the dreams of the rocket were over. a commercially subsidized space industry collapsed. Only the arrival of SpaceX on the market to compete with a cheaper and reusable Falcon 9 rocket rocked the market and forced ULA to compete in designing the new Vulcan Centaur.
ULA is considered to have a major advantage in the upcoming launch competition, as its parent companies are the two largest US defense contractors. SpaceX's Falcon rockets eventually dominate the commercial market, and its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy will likely remain competitive with other competitors.
The next rocket project from Musk is the BFR, which is much more powerful than the rockets envisioned for this contract. The only public contract for this vehicle is the Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, who hopes to fly a team of artists around the moon in 2023.
Northrop Grumman's Omega rocket is being developed by Orbital ATK, a contractor it acquired earlier this year. The Omega is a unique design among competitors, designed as a solid fuel rocket based on the space shuttle boosters. Meanwhile, Blue Origin has not yet developed a rocket capable of reaching an orbit, but its suborbital New Shepard design has been applauded and its New Glenn development program has made subject of a major investment.
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