US Air Force to be sued over lack of competition
“If we compete and lose, that is fine,” the businessman said in Washington. “But why would they not even compete it?”
Musk’s company, known as SpaceX, is trying to break the Lockheed Martin-Boeing joint venture’s lock on military satellite launches, which have an estimated value of $70bn (€51bn) up to 2030. Lockheed and Boeing are the military’s biggest suppliers.
SpaceX plans to file its suit today in the Court of Federal Claims. It is seeking to reopen competition for a contract to the venture, United Launch Alliance, for 36 rocket cores.
The Air Force agreed to the bulk purchase of the main rocket components last year. “This contract is costing US taxpayers billions of dollars for no reason,” Musk said.
Meanwhile, Republican senator John McCain has questioned the lack of competition, asking the Pentagon’s inspector general to investigate developments in the Air Force’s launch programme.
Mark Bitterman, a spokesman for United Launch Alliance, said the military’s “robust acquisition and oversight process”, and the company’s improved performance led to more than $4bn in savings compared with prior acquisition approaches.
An Air Force spokesman did not comment.
SpaceX will need three successful launches as part of the process to win certification. Technical reviews and audits of the proposed rockets, ground systems, and manufacturing process are also needed, according to the Air Force.
