Space.com By Sandra Erwin, June 24, 2018
SpaceX has won its first big-ticket classified military launch contract for the Falcon Heavy rocket. The Air Force awarded SpaceX a $130 million contract for the launch of Air Force Space Command (AFSPC)-52 satellite.
The Falcon Heavy beat United Launch Alliance's Delta 4 in a competition under the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program. The launch will take place at Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
The Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center in Los Angeles announced the contract award on Thursday. SMC Commander Lt. Gen. John Thompson said this was "another opportunity to foster competition on the EELV program in an effort to reduce launch costs while maintaining assured access to space." [SpaceX's Falcon Rocket Evolution in Pictures]
This is the fifth competitive procurement under the current Phase 1A of the EELV program since SpaceX entered the market to challenge ULA. The $130 million award for the Falcon Heavy launch is considerably lower than the average $350 million price tag for Delta 4 launches.
AFSPC-52 is a classified mission projected to launch in late Fiscal Year 2020.
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