Tournear: SDA's NSSL launches will cost marginally more than commercial alternative

摘要

The Space Development Agency's recent decision to use the National Security Space Launch Phase 2 contract to carry Tranche 1 satellites will only cost marginally more than working with a commercial provider due to efforts from the Space Systems Center's NSSL program office. SDA Director Derek Tournear told reporters today at the Space Symposium that the Defense Department "essentially" directed him to use the NSSL contract for Tranche 1 launches after the agency used a commercial construct for its Tranche 0 satellites. The agency revealed the decision last month in an update to its Transport Layer Tranche 1 draft request for proposals. Tournear said he initially had cost and schedule concerns about committing to NSSL versus using a commercial launch provider that may have more flexibility in its launch manifest. On cost, the agency was able to work with SSC to cut "in the tens of millions of dollars per launch" from what a typical NSSL mission would cost.