It matters little whether I did or didn’t have an idea about it. The point is that the sanctions we’re talking about are not under control of Congress. If Congress wants to layer on additional congressional sanctions, well, that’s the way politics works. Lockheed and Boeing donate a lot more to Diane Feinstein than SpaceX does, that’s for sure. “Pending legislation”? Ah, hah, ha. That means it’s sitting on someones desk. Trees get cut down for legislation. Forests get cut down for “pending legislation”.

Goodness, I would HOPE that SpaceX, and ULA as well, had been “pulling strings behind the scenes”. They’re paying good money for that pulling. Of course, there are a whole lot of strings up there being pulled, and sometimes it’s hard to know who else is pulling what you’re pulling. Welcome to congressional lobbying.

So let’s see. Obama is supposed to rail against Russia, and boldly set up sanctions. But he’s supposed to qualify those sanctions to exclude ULA? That sure detracts from any boldness. ULA is caught in a nasty squeeze, that’s for sure. They could have factored that possibility into their business plan, but it’s not clear they did. SpaceX is on the sidelines, cheering on those sanctions, but their enthusiasm for the sanctions is completely separate from national defense policy.

As to talking “about naive”, I actually wasn’t. But I’m glad you bring it up. As to being tied into it, those strings pulling on you sure must be uncomfortable.

I know what the administration says relative to Russia. You think they do this all in some vacuum without influence from lobbyists? Really?? ULA does the same thing. This is how Washington works. It’s no secret that SpaceX has been pulling strings behind the scenes for quite awhile with some very powerful people, as does ULA. Well, maybe it’s a secret to you. Get a clue? Please?? You obviously are not tied into this at all. Talk about naive.

Longer term, if this drags on, they’ll have generated some complex legal mumbo-jumbo memo’s; they’ll basically disregard the injunction through sophisticated “interpretations”. Anyone thinks this is going to stop launches is dreaming. In parallel, they’ll get that new engine program going (arguing otherwise one day launches may stop!). This new money helps ULA even more. Vastly so (work of Atlas people to collaborate with TBD new engine contractor). Ka’ching.

No one will be the wiser since all this is so buried behind so many accounting layers. Distributing overly complex memo’s will provide any defense some years hence when this may come out (plead complexity!).

That said, none of the prior has nothing to do with what is really dangerous to ULA in the lawsuit. The real advantage to SpaceX, legal win, lose or draw, is in getting the ULA story out in the public eye. Getting cost data out there somehow. Causing the stir is the win. It’s the process, not the outcome, that ULA and Air Force will stress over and SpaceX has only to gain from. If ULA and AF realize this, it’s the process itself they will try to stop cold, and soon.

I appreciate your comments even if I don’t necessarily agree with them. That’s the nature of democracy and civilised debate. I certainly won’t be calling anyone names (unless they are posting something truly offensive or totally lacking in research where they should know better.)

At least on this board, you don’t get banned and stopped from posting unlike my experience on another one. FHS even AMW gets a hearing and he/she’s not exactly in the majority.

Hats off to Mr Foust.

Cheers