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382 articles
SpaceX hopes to sell used Falcon 9 boosters for as low as $40 million
SpaceX intends to cut the price of a Falcon 9 rocket launch by up to 30 percent when flying with reused first stage boosters, an achievement the company still hopes to demonstrate before the end of the year, SpaceX's president said recently.
Pentagon opens investigation into contracts with ULA
The U.S. Defense Department's internal watchdog has opened a probe into whether the Pentagon's contracts with United Launch Alliance were properly awarded after a former ULA executive implied the government rigged a recent procurement in favor of the company.
ULA’s candidates to replace RD-180 engine win Air Force funding
The Pentagon has awarded at least $162 million in contracts to Aerojet Rocketdyne and United Launch Alliance for development of the AR1 and BE-4 rocket engines, candidates to power the first stage of a next-generation rocket and replace the Russian-made engine currently flying on the Atlas 5 launcher.
Florida spaceport tallies highest launch rate in more than a decade
Cape Canaveral was the departure point for more space launches in 2015 than in any year since 2003, with 17 takeoffs by Atlas, Falcon and Delta rockets hoisting U.S. military satellites, commercial payloads and cargo for the International Space Station.
Russian engine purchase adds to ULA’s Atlas 5 inventory
Freed from a legal restriction officials said limited its ability to compete for future U.S. military satellite launches, United Launch Alliance has ordered 20 new RD-180 engines from Russia that will keep the Atlas 5 rocket flying into the early 2020s.
ULA says it will launch some CubeSats for free
United Launch Alliance chief executive Tory Bruno said Thursday the company will offer more rides for CubeSats aboard future Atlas 5 rocket flights, and give some away for free, in a bid to tap into a growing market of small satellites with applications in education, scientific research and commercial business.
ULA sits out Air Force launch competition
United Launch Alliance said Monday it did not submit a proposal in a competition to launch a U.S. Air Force GPS navigation satellite, apparently relinquishing the contract to rival SpaceX, the only other company certified to launch the mission.
ULA’s Atlas 5 wins contract to launch NASA data relay satellite
The last of NASA's current-generation tracking and data relay satellites designed to link mission control with the International Space Station has been assigned for launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket in October 2017, officials announced Friday.
One year after Antares failure, Orbital ATK nears return to flight
A year after a launch mishap left Orbital ATK's Cygnus supply ship without a ride to the International Space Station, company officials say the cargo delivery system is on the verge of a comeback, thanks to deals with United Launch Alliance and a decision to redesign its Antares booster with new rocket engines.
Lockheed Martin targets up to four commercial Atlas 5s per year
Lockheed Martin's launch services team hopes to lure up to four commercial customers per year to fly on United Launch Alliance's Atlas 5 booster as a stream of U.S. government missions is forecast to dry up starting in 2017, according to Lockheed Martin's rocket sales chief.