SMC Enters into Cooperative Research and Development Agreementwith SpaceX

On Jun 12, 9:08*am, Jeff Findley wrote:
SMC Enters into Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with
SpaceXhttp://spaceref.biz/2013/06/smc-enters-into-cooperative-research-and-
development-agreement-with-spacex.html

From above:

* *The Space and Missile Systems Center has signed a
* *Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA)
* *with Space Exploration Technologies Corp., better known
* *as SpaceX, as part of the company's effort to certify
* *its Falcon 9 v1.1 Launch System for National Security
* *Space (NSS) missions. This cooperative agreement
* *facilitates data exchanges and protects proprietary
* *and export-controlled data. The CRADA will be in effect
* *until all certification activities are complete.

* *...

* *SMC anticipates entering into additional CRADAs with
* *SpaceX to evaluate its Falcon Heavy rocket and with
* *Orbital Sciences for its Antares launch vehicle.

Sounds like the Air Force is getting serious about lowering launch costs
by buying launches from "commercial" providers instead of having a hand
in developing the launch vehicles themselves (e.g. the EELV's).


Wrong. The AIr Force did not have a hand in developing the EELV's.
It was a commercial competition. The USAF set requirements and the
contractors came up with designs without Air Force involvement.
Falcon 9 has to meet the same requirements as the EELV's to eligible
for a contract. That is what this agreement is about.
The USAF will buy launches the same way from all contractors, just
like NASA does.
Also, there is no proof that Spacex will be cheaper.
Falcon has been available for NASA missions since 2008 and has only
won one mission.

In article 9ad07b83-1d47-40bc-b28b-
,
says...

On Jun 12, 9:08*am, Jeff Findley wrote:
SMC Enters into Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with
SpaceXhttp://spaceref.biz/2013/06/smc-enters-into-cooperative-research-and-
development-agreement-with-spacex.html

From above:

* *The Space and Missile Systems Center has signed a
* *Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA)
* *with Space Exploration Technologies Corp., better known
* *as SpaceX, as part of the company's effort to certify
* *its Falcon 9 v1.1 Launch System for National Security
* *Space (NSS) missions. This cooperative agreement
* *facilitates data exchanges and protects proprietary
* *and export-controlled data. The CRADA will be in effect
* *until all certification activities are complete.

* *...

* *SMC anticipates entering into additional CRADAs with
* *SpaceX to evaluate its Falcon Heavy rocket and with
* *Orbital Sciences for its Antares launch vehicle.

Sounds like the Air Force is getting serious about lowering launch costs
by buying launches from "commercial" providers instead of having a hand
in developing the launch vehicles themselves (e.g. the EELV's).


Wrong. The AIr Force did not have a hand in developing the EELV's.
It was a commercial competition. The USAF set requirements and the
contractors came up with designs without Air Force involvement.

EELV program was run as a competition and development was funded by the
government. To say that the government "did not have a hand in
developing the EELV's" is quite disingenuous. At every stage in the
game, the contractors did their best to "read the tea leaves" in order
to figure out what it would take to get them to the next level of the
competition.

Falcon 9's development was absolutely not funded in the same way.

Furthermore, the EELV program would not have ever picked a vehicle like
Falcon 9 since the US government was looking to reduce costs by creating
an *evolved* expendable launch vehicle using proven, heritage, hardware
where ever possible. Falcon 9 is completely new if you use the EELV
program's "yardstick" to measure it. Musk would have been laughed out
of the competition completely.

Falcon 9 has to meet the same requirements as the EELV's to eligible
for a contract. That is what this agreement is about.

I'm not privy to the details, so I can neither agree or disagree with
this.

The USAF will buy launches the same way from all contractors, just
like NASA does.
Also, there is no proof that Spacex will be cheaper.
Falcon has been available for NASA missions since 2008 and has only
won one mission.

Time will tell, won't it?

Jeff
--
"the perennial claim that hypersonic airbreathing propulsion would
magically make space launch cheaper is nonsense -- LOX is much cheaper
than advanced airbreathing engines, and so are the tanks to put it in
and the extra thrust to carry it." - Henry Spencer