Earlier this year Boeing agreed to pay $615 million to the federal government to settle claims that Boeing used proprietary Lockheed Martin documents during the initial EELv competition in the 1990s. Now the government is figuring out where that money will go, the Wall Street Journal reports. (Subscription required; a free AP article is also available.) The Air Force had hoped to use most of the money for “specific Air Force rocket acquisition costs”, but various legal and accounting details will prevent that. Instead, the Air Force plans to get at least $129.3 million for “high-priority space portfolio bills”, while NASA will get $106.7 million. The rest will go directly to the Treasury, although about a quarter of the settlement money is still under review to see how much of that the Air Force will get.
Does it even matter ?! What are they going to achieve with that little money ?
The rest of the money should go to Red Planet Capital for helping entreprenurial space businesses.
Dennis
“The rest of the money should go to Red Planet Capital for helping entreprenurial space businesses.”
That’s nuts! How was entreprenurial space businesses harmed by Boeing’s actions? Lockheed was financially impacted by the loss of potential contracts due to Boeing’s actions. The Air Force was potentially harmed in that it did not get the best launch value for its dollar. The same might be said for NASA, but quite frankly that is a stretch as it has never wanted the EELV’s in the first place. The Treasury might have some claim toward paying the costs associated with the Government’s prosecution of the case. The only private company impacted was Lockheed and, to a certain extent, its subs. Unless you lump LM into the entreprenurial basket, why should money be set aside for Red Planet Capital?
Why is this nuts?
The stated goal of national space policy is to extend human and robotic presence across the solar system and beyond.
Red Planet capital is a tool in the toolbox to accomplish this.
I would rather they put about $10 billion in the fund but it is a good start to use the excess cash from Boeing’s misdeeds. That can at least begin a leveraging cycle if RPC makes good bets.
Or do you seriously think that the status quo is going to get us to the stars?
Dennis