SpaceX wins bid to fly classified military satellite on Falcon Heavy
SpaceX has won a $130 million contract to send a classified Air Force satellite to space on its monster Falcon Heavy rocket. The satellite, known as AFSPC-52, is scheduled to launch in 2020. SpaceX beat out the United Launch Alliance, the joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, which was angling to use its own heavy-lift Delta 4 rocket to send the military satellite to space.
One of the goals of pitting companies against each other for contracts like these is to reduce costs for the government. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center Commander Lt. Gen. John Thompson said in a statement released on Thursday that awarding the launch to Space X “fits the mission of delivering resilient and affordable space capabilities to our...