The US Department of Defence has awarded $297 million mission contracts to SpaceX for three projects.
The three mission contracts will explore reconnaissance launches and vehicle production. Other companies have received funding for similar missions with the DOD, with $738 million awarded in total.
The contract covers three missions: NROL-85 (National Reconnaissance Office Launch), NROL-87, and AFSPC-44 (Air Force Space Command), covering vehicle production, launch operations, spaceflight capabilities, and mission integration. The contract is one of nine national security space launch missions SpaceX is involved in, with the company successfully finishing 66 operations in total.
Two companies competed for the contract, with SpaceX ultimately winning out. The other contract was won by Colorado-based firm United Launch Service, which was awarded the SILENTBARKER, SBIRS, GEO-5, and SBIRS GEO-6 launch missions.
The missions will be worked on at Hawthorne California, Cape Canaveral Air Force Space Station in Florida, and Vandenberg Air Force base in California. The missions are set to be completed by 2021.
The contract news comes shortly after it has emerged the Pentagon is launching an investigation into whether or not the Air Force properly certified SpaceX launch systems on a previous project. The investigation will determine if the Air Force acted in accordance with the Launch Services New Entrant Certification Code in the system’s design.
It refers to the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle-Class SpaceX Falcon 9 but does not specify what prompted the action. The communications satellite launched in October 2017 and the investigation is being described as one of the Office of Inspector General’s key tasks.
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