Elon Musk Had Filed Suit Against The Air Force After ULA Won Exclusive Launch Rights

SpaceX may receive the right to bid for U.S. Air Force launches by the middle of this year, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.

SpaceX Founder and CEO Elon Musk had sued the USAF last year after United Launch Alliance was given an exclusive contract for its launches. Musk was critical of ULA for using Russian engines on its boosters, and hinted on Twitter that there could have been a quid-pro-quo for an Air Force official to receive a vice president's position with ULA if that company got the exclusive contract.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the Air Force said last Wednesday that it will likely certify SpaceX to compete for satellite launches for the Department of Defense by the middle of this year ... which is about six months later than had originally been projected. The Air Force said that SpaceX has completed about 80 percent of the requirements needed for that certification. "We expect to certify SpaceX no later than midyear, as we remain very optimistic since SpaceX continues to demonstrate the innate ability to innovate and quickly respond to open items." Lt. Gen. Samuel Greaves, commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center, said in a statement.

There was no specific reason given for the delay. The lawsuit is reportedly still pending.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.af.mil, www.spacex.com