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SpaceX is getting money to do vertical integration for this contract.
by thinkcontext 6y ago
SpaceX is getting money to do vertical integration for this contract.
- sandworm101 6y agoYa, but they haven't done it yet. When you are organizing launch contracts for billion-dollar spy satellites you only ever go with people who have done things a few times before.
- thinkcontext 6y agoLike the Vulcan rocket which has never flown?
- valuearb 6y agoHas ULA ever designed a new rocket?
- simonh 6y agoULA is just a consortium of Lockheed and a Boeing, so ‘technically’ no, but in practice the actual people and facilities have, yes.
- valuearb 6y agoThe Delta IV and Atlas V were developed twenty years ago. Given turnover and the new management structure, lots of those people are gone or not in the same roles.
- jccooper 6y agoULA has designed and is building the Vulkan rocket now. Presumably they have some staff that were involved with the Atlas V and Delta IV back when they were with their parent companies.
- valuearb 6y agoThat was 20 years ago, they’ve had lots of turnover since. So while they clearly retain some expertise, most appears to be in launch operations, not launch system design. Which is one reason they had to farm out engine design to Blue Origin. Treating the ULA bid as if it were lower risk than SpaceX appears to be contrary to the facts. The Falcon 9 has been flying for a decade, and has a very good safety record. The Vulkan is a paper rocket that is years from actual service using an unproven engine, being designed by an effectively new team.