Why SpaceX is suing because of the Russian engine
The state corporation Roscosmos is rightly criticized for the low efficiency of its work. Sometimes opinions are heard that it is necessary to transfer everything into the hands of private owners, and then everything will work out. As a good example, they cite, as a rule, the United States of America, where several private space companies successfully operate at once. However, practice shows that the USA is full of mess. So, the company Ilona Mask SpaceX sued the US Air Force because of an unfair, in her opinion, tender.
It is noteworthy that the "PR genius" quarreled with the Pentagon over Russian RD-180 engines. It is widely known that they are widely used in the US space program after abandoning the Shuttles. The first contract for their supply was concluded in 1997, that is, the Americans have been flying into space on Russian engines for two decades. ULA puts them on the first stage of the Atlas V rocket, which after mining falls into the ocean. Thanks to such inefficient use of reusable engines by the Americans, the Russian Energomash was provided with a large portfolio of orders, which amounts to half of its revenue.
Of course, this could not continue indefinitely. Washington set a goal to get rid of its dependence on the Kremlin, especially since some domestic policy They explicitly called for a halt to the delivery of the RD-180 to the United States in response to Western sanctions. A tender was organized, the winners of which will receive guaranteed multi-billion orders for launches. There were four applicants: ULA with a Vulcan rocket, Northrop Grumman with OmegA, Blue Origin with its New Glenn and SpaceX.
So, the company Ilona Mask remained overboard. The first applicant received 967 million dollars from the state, the second - 791,6 million, and the third - 500 million. SpaceX did not receive anything, despite the fact that it is considered one of the market leaders. And then her representatives began to declare “strange”:
A curious admission, but can it be attributed only to the insult of the loser?
The fact is that SpaceX itself, in order to launch its Falcon into orbit, is forced to use nine Merlin 1D + marching engines at once. For comparison, Atlas V has just one RD-180 to do similar tasks. Americans have to put a lot of power plants because of the weak traction of each separately. Musk recently stated that its promising Raptor engine even surpasses the RD-180, but this has yet to be proved by years of operation.
An interesting development of BE-4 from the company Jeff Bezos Blue Origin, but it is twice as traction as the Russian competitor. Therefore, they will have to be put immediately two on the launch vehicle, that is, to pay twice for each launch. It is also necessary to remember that these are all “remodels” that have childhood illnesses, which SpaceX hints at in their statement.
The bottom line is that we are faced with a trivial squabble for government orders between corporations, where money and timelines are of paramount importance, rather than manufacturability and efficiency, and the big question is what is the role of the corruption component in choosing tender winners.
It is noteworthy that the "PR genius" quarreled with the Pentagon over Russian RD-180 engines. It is widely known that they are widely used in the US space program after abandoning the Shuttles. The first contract for their supply was concluded in 1997, that is, the Americans have been flying into space on Russian engines for two decades. ULA puts them on the first stage of the Atlas V rocket, which after mining falls into the ocean. Thanks to such inefficient use of reusable engines by the Americans, the Russian Energomash was provided with a large portfolio of orders, which amounts to half of its revenue.
Of course, this could not continue indefinitely. Washington set a goal to get rid of its dependence on the Kremlin, especially since some domestic policy They explicitly called for a halt to the delivery of the RD-180 to the United States in response to Western sanctions. A tender was organized, the winners of which will receive guaranteed multi-billion orders for launches. There were four applicants: ULA with a Vulcan rocket, Northrop Grumman with OmegA, Blue Origin with its New Glenn and SpaceX.
So, the company Ilona Mask remained overboard. The first applicant received 967 million dollars from the state, the second - 791,6 million, and the third - 500 million. SpaceX did not receive anything, despite the fact that it is considered one of the market leaders. And then her representatives began to declare “strange”:
Contracts were signed for three “unfinished and never flying” missile systems that would not be ready for flights within the deadlines set by the government, which would “harm the goals” outlined in the Air Force program.
A curious admission, but can it be attributed only to the insult of the loser?
The fact is that SpaceX itself, in order to launch its Falcon into orbit, is forced to use nine Merlin 1D + marching engines at once. For comparison, Atlas V has just one RD-180 to do similar tasks. Americans have to put a lot of power plants because of the weak traction of each separately. Musk recently stated that its promising Raptor engine even surpasses the RD-180, but this has yet to be proved by years of operation.
An interesting development of BE-4 from the company Jeff Bezos Blue Origin, but it is twice as traction as the Russian competitor. Therefore, they will have to be put immediately two on the launch vehicle, that is, to pay twice for each launch. It is also necessary to remember that these are all “remodels” that have childhood illnesses, which SpaceX hints at in their statement.
The bottom line is that we are faced with a trivial squabble for government orders between corporations, where money and timelines are of paramount importance, rather than manufacturability and efficiency, and the big question is what is the role of the corruption component in choosing tender winners.
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