The Air Force's upcoming year: 8 major space contracts totaling $2 billion

摘要

When the U.S. Air Force announced contracts Feb. 29 for Aerojet Rocketdyne to work on a new rocket engine known as the AR1 and for United Launch Alliance to work on its next-generation Vulcan rocket, it marked the Defense Department's first major space awards of 2016. Combined, those deals could be worth as much as $700 million. The contracts are a key step in the Air Force's move away from the Russian RD-180 rocket engine ULA's Atlas 5 uses to launch a majority of national security satellites. Each January, SpaceNews asks the Air Force for a breakdown of major space contracts it expects to award before the end of the year. The list offers insight into how the service plans to modernize its fleet of satellites, launch vehicles and ground infrastructure. It also provides another indicator for how closely the Air Force is following the timelines it has previously offered in budget books, congressional testimony and acquisition documents.