EELV Contracts: After the Merger
May 15, 2012 16:01 EDT
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The EELV program was designed to reduce the cost of government space launches through greater contractor competition, and modifiable rocket families whose system requirements emphasized simplicity, commonality, standardization, new applications of existing technology, streamlined manufacturing capabilities, and more efficient launch-site processing. Result: the Delta IV (Boeing) and Atlas V (Lockheed Martin) heavy rockets.
Paradoxically, that very program may have forced the October 2006 merger of Boeing & Lockheed Martin’s rocket divisions. Crosslink Magazine’s Winter 2004 article “EELV: The Next Stage of Space Launch” offers an excellent briefing that covers EELV’s program innovations and results, while a detailed National Taxpayer’s Union letter to Congress takes a much less positive view. This DID Spotlight article looks at the Delta IV and Atlas V rockets, as well as the contracts placed since the merger that formed the United Launch Alliance:
- The EELV Systems
- Competition Again? The New “Open” Launch Framework [NEW]
- Contracts & Key Events [updated]
- Additional Readings
Gain immediate access to Defense Industry Insider coverage of the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle rocket program when you subscribe. Our cross-linked article network and reference materials include:
- Tracking of contracts to Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and the United Launch Alliance; McDonnell Douglas Corp., and others More coverage from DII including: "The US FTC Clears Boeing-Lockheed Space Launch Merger," "Boeing & Lockheed Merge Rocket Divisions," "Next-Stage C4ISR Bandwidth: The US Military's AEHF Program," "The Wideband Gapfiller Satellite Program" and more
- Program background and goals, links to additional corporate resources, fact sheets and related articles
- 3 photos and illustrations
Subscribe now to the Defense Industry Insider. DII covers hundreds of defense procurement programs, and gives thousands of links, expert analysis and the latest industry news.
