July 16, 2003
Facts on the Pad

Read this article carefully, and see if you don't see the same strategy at work that I do:

US Air Force nearing end of Boeing rocket inquiry


But if investigators conclude Boeing itself -- and not just the two employees -- played a role in stealing the Lockheed secrets, the company could be banned from space-related contracts for a limited time, defense officials said.


The Air Force -- which insists it needs at least two rocket makers to ensure U.S. access to space -- is due to award one to four more launches under the EELV program late this month.


He said Boeing's announcement on Tuesday sent a clear message to the Pentagon that any further setbacks in the launch business could drive it out of the launch business entirely.

It sounds to me as if Boeing is using the suspension of Delta IV commercial flights as a warning to the DoD not to debar them from future EELV business. That is, they seem to be saying that now that their lion's share of the EELV launches for the government is the only thing paying the Delta IV bills, a debarment just might push them to give up on Delta IV altogether, leaving the DoD in the lurch with one EELV instead of the two they desire.

I'm not going to say what this smells like to me, but I think you can probably guess.

Posted by T.L. James on July 16, 2003 07:52 PM

Comments

This sounds like business as usual, though a bit more public than normal. Ie, these companies have always used their oligopoly status to weasel out of punishment. Perhaps Boeing is in real trouble this time. The Pentagon should call their bluff IMHO. Even if Boeing drops out of the launch business or out of business altogether, it'll set a good example for the others.



Posted by: Karl Hallowell at July 17, 2003 11:32 AM

IS NASA permitted to use Delta IV if its strictly not a commercial launcher ? Doesnt some commercial space act forbid that ?



Posted by: at July 17, 2003 01:25 PM

The word has come down that the Pentagon has pulled their missions from the Delta-4 and given them to the Atlas-5.

Bet it won't last too long though. Boeing built a pad at Vandenberg for the Delta-4 and can launch the 'heavy' varient of it as well. Lockheed only has a Florida pad and that would need to be modified to handle their heavy version.

West coast and heavy missions were part of the EELV contract in the first place and only Boeing is ready to do them. Also the Atlas-5's still get their 1'st stages engines from Russia instead of building them here which doesn't please the Pentagon too much either.



Posted by: rps at July 24, 2003 09:17 PM

It was my understanding (right or wrong) that the Atlas V pad at KSC was already outfitted for the triple-barrel heavy-lift version. I can't give details, but there isn't that much left to do to complete the heavy-lift Atlas V. I'm told that, with a little funding (which USAF didn't want to dole out unless the triple Delta IV had problems), the heavy-lift Atlas V could be up and flying fairly quickly.

But you're right...a heavy-lift pad at KSC doesn't do any good if you need to launch into a polar orbit.



Posted by: T.L. James at July 25, 2003 08:21 PM