The U.S. Air Force is crafting a plan to stimulate competition to break the virtual monopoly held by the United Launch Alliance's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle product family, even as USAF studies ways to reduce EELV cost. Among the competition initiatives is a test launch for companies seeking to break into the defense launch market. Maj. Gen. John Hyten, director of space programs for the Air Force acquisition office, says the service has requested $135 million in the fiscal 2012 budget plan to fund competition for launch of NASA's Deep Space Climate Observatory (Dscovr) satellite (formerly called Triana) as a flight test for a new launch provider.
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