Report from Washington, D.C.
Commercial Acquisition Clarified
Written by: Space Foundation Editorial Team
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report last month on the proposed Department of Defense (DoD) block buy acquisition strategy for Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles (EELVs), recommending that the DoD “assess engine costs and mission assurance activities, reassess the length of the proposed block buy and consider how to address broader launch acquisition and technology development issues.” The DoD said that it concurred with most of the GAO’s recommendations.
On the same day the GAO report came out, NASA, the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and the U.S. Air Force announced that they had signed an agreement to establish “clear criteria for certification of commercial providers of launch vehicles used for national security space and civil space missions.”
This article is part of Space Watch: November 2011 (Volume: 10, Issue: 11).