Elizabeth Leigh
Air Force Gen. William Shelton has said the branch continues to move forward with efforts to certify SpaceX as a contractor to compete for satellite launch work, Reuters reported Wednesday.
Andrea Shalal write that Shelton, chief of the Air Force Space Command, sees the process concluding by either the year’s end or in early 2015 and noted that the military has allocated $60 million and a 100-person team for the certification.
Shelton told reporters at the 30th Space Symposium that while there is no way to fast-track the process, the firm might still get the opportunity to compete in some contracts and awards would be subject to getting the certification.
Shalal writes that both Sheldon and Air Force Undersecretary Eric Fanning, who was also at the conference, have conveyed the military service’s strategy to increase competition in the rocket launch market.
