Government files motion to lift RD-180 injunction

Late Tuesday the US Government, the defendant in SpaceX’s EELV lawsuit, formally filed a motion with the US Court of Federal Claims to lift the injunction the court issued last week blocking the government from purchasing RD-180 rocket engines from Russian company Energomash. The government provided letters from the Departments of Treasury, Commerce, and State […]

Griffin endorses Mars 2021 mission concept

While the concept of a human Mars flyby mission launching in 2021 got the attention of some in Congress in late February, the proposed mission, based on designs developed by Inspiration Mars, has maintained a low profile since then. The authorization bill that the House Science Committee approved last week does require NASA to perform […]

A war of words in EELV court filings (updated)

Since the preliminary injunction issued by the US Court of Federal Claims late Wednesday that blocked the US Air Force and United Launch Alliance (ULA) from making any payments to NPO Energomash, the Russian company that manufactures the RD-180 engine used by ULA’s Atlas V, there has been a increasingly heated war of words among […]

Preparing for the next phase of export control reform

Despite the uncertainty in exports to Russia created by the Ukraine crisis, the overall export control reform effort is moving forward. As of last month, the final rule for Category XV of the US Munitions List (USML), which covers satellites and related components, and its corresponding section of the Commerce Control List (CCL), was due […]

Senate Appropriations chairwoman “deeply troubled” by proposed NASA budget

Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) is one of the most powerful members of Congress given her position as chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. She’s used that power to help NASA—or, at least, specific programs within the agency—win funding. However, she’s not shy to speak up when she thinks the agency is off course, which is […]

Preliminary injunction blocks purchases of RD-180 engines (updated)

Late Wednesday, the presiding judge in the US Court of Federal Claims case between SpaceX and the US Air Force issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Air Force and United Launch Alliance (ULA) from purchasing RD-180 rocket engines from Russian company NPO Energomash. In her three-page decision, Judge Susan G. Braden concluded that purchases of […]