Launching a New Era: SpaceX vs. ULA

"The U.S. Air Force, NASA and the National Reconnaissance
Office have finally issued a first-of-a-kind strategy for certifying
new entrants seeking to compete for national security space
launches.

This is not a change for NASA, which already works with
commercial launch companies, but the strategy lays out new
criteria for companies seeking to break into the market for
national security launches. Though not solely intended to
address companies seeking to loft larger satellites, this new
criteria will set the stage for a likely duel between Space
Exploration Technologies and its young Falcon 9 and the
United Launch Alliance's Atlas V and Delta IV vehicles,
which boast a record of 43 successes."

See:

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs...tId=b logDest