Space News by Sandra Erwin April 14, 2023
In the fiercely competitive space launch industry, United Launch Alliance and SpaceX have established themselves as the reigning providers of U.S. national security launch services, leaving little room for potential rivals to challenge their dominance.
However, with the Space Force’s latest strategy to procure future launch services, new doors of opportunity may finally open for up-and-coming contenders.
“Our strategy shows a lot of confidence in the commercial sector,” said Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy, program executive officer for assured access to space at the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command.
In a bid to expand the military’s capabilities for putting payloads in space, Purdy’s office in February rolled out a draft solicitation for the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3, a multibillion-dollar procurement of launch services projected for 2025 through 2029.
The goal is to procure reliable launch services for traditional military and intelligence heavy-lift missions while seeking smaller, medium-size rockets to deploy the Pentagon’s new proliferated constellation in low Earth orbit.
The forthcoming Phase 3 procurement also addresses criticism that surfaced four years ago when the Air Force formulated the NSSL Phase 2 plan. Lawmakers and industry players at the time expressed reservations about the strategy, alleging that it stifled fair competition.
LAUNCH CONTRACTS IN TWO SEPARATE LANESWhile NSSL Phase 2 was a single competition limited to launch providers that could fly the full range of missions, the Space Force will seek bids under two separate contract types in Phase 3.
NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 will solicit bids for the more “risk tolerant” missions to low Earth orbit.
NSSL Phase 3 Lane 2 is modeled after the Phase 2 procurement that ULA and SpaceX won in 2020. The Space Force will award five-year contracts to two launch providers capable of flying a full range of missions to the most demanding orbits. These two providers will share 40 missions, with the top scorer winning 24 and the other 16 — a 60/40 split.
In Lane 1, as many as 30 missions will be competitively awarded between 2025 and 2029. There’s an option to extend the contract period until 2034 to accommodate new vehicles that may need more time to complete development.
The Lane 1 procurement is geared to attract companies like Rocket Lab, ABL Space, Firefly, Relativity Space and other small launch specialists working to bring larger rockets to market.
“They’re going after those medium-class launches. And they’re getting venture capital to do it,” Purdy told SpaceNews.
Lane 1 will be structured as indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts awarded to multiple vendors, essentially pre-qualifying them to bid for firm orders down the road.
The Space Force will issue annual calls for new entrants to “on ramp” into Lane 1 by submitting their plans for technical review.
More:
https://spacenews.com/the-next-battle-for-u-s-military-launch-contracts-is-about-to-begin/
