The Air Force certified Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) to compete for national security space launches, service Secretary Deborah James said May 26 on Twitter.
James didn’t specify which launch vehicle was certified, but it was likely the Falcon 9 as the two parties have been working on certification for the launch vehicle for almost two years. The Air Force was slated to certify SpaceX by the end of 2014, but the service announced at the last minute certification would likely take another six months.
The Air Force on May 13 issued a draft request for proposals (RFP) for Global Positioning System III (GPS III) launch services, the first competitive launches in about a decade.