{"id":29527,"date":"2019-02-12T16:49:38","date_gmt":"2019-02-12T16:49:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2019\/02\/12\/the-pentagons-inspector-general-is-investigating-the-certification-of-spacex-rocketsbut-its-unclear-why\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:25:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:25:23","slug":"the-pentagons-inspector-general-is-investigating-the-certification-of-spacex-rocketsbut-its-unclear-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2019\/02\/12\/the-pentagons-inspector-general-is-investigating-the-certification-of-spacex-rocketsbut-its-unclear-why\/","title":{"rendered":"Pentagon\u2019s inspector general to launch probe into certification of SpaceX rockets \u2026 but it\u2019s unclear why"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 The Pentagon\u2019s inspector general is launching an investigation as to whether the U.S. Air Force improperly certified <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/space\/2018\/10\/10\/spacex-left-out-of-next-stage-in-air-forces-next-generation-rocket-program\/\" target=_blank>SpaceX launch systems<\/a>, it announced Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOur objective is to determine whether the U.S. Air Force complied with the Launch Services New Entrant Certification Guide when certifying the launch system design for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/air\/2016\/04\/28\/spacex-wins-us-air-force-contract-for-gps-iii-launch\/\" target=_blank>Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle-class SpaceX Falcon 9<\/a> and Falcon Heavy launch vehicles,\u201d Michael Roark, deputy inspector general for intelligence and special program assessments, wrote <a href=\"https:\/\/media.defense.gov\/2019\/Feb\/11\/2002088764\/-1\/-1\/1\/D2019-D000PT-0059.000.PDF\" target=_blank>in a memo<\/a> addressed to Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Exactly what is prompting this review is unclear. The IG\u2019s memo does not specify what, if anything, raised suspicions about the Air Force\u2019s 2015 certification of Falcon 9 and 2018 certification of Falcon Heavy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An Air Force spokesman referred Defense News to the inspector general\u2019s office for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis was a self-initiated project by the Office of Inspector General,&#8221; Dwrena Allen, the spokesperson for the Pentagon\u2019s Office of Inspector General, told Defense News. &#8220;It is one of the key projects in the OIG\u2019s expanding oversight focus on the Department of Defense\u2019s space, missile defense, and nuclear management challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A query to SpaceX was not immediately returned.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/12\/23\/spacex-launches-air-forces-best-gps-yet-ends-banner-year\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18357540232397.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">SpaceX launches Air Force\u2019s best GPS yet, ends banner year<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">SpaceX has launched the U.S. Air Force\u2019s most powerful GPS satellite ever built.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The investigation will start this month and take place at Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base, Roark\u2019s memo states.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2018\/08\/02\/one-possible-job-for-spacexs-bfr-taking-the-air-forces-cargo-in-and-out-of-space\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/moon-bfr.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">One possible job for SpaceX\u2019s BFR rocket? Taking the Air Force\u2019s cargo in and out of space.<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Air Mobility Command is interested in partnering up with companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin for faster ways to transport its equipment.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bloomberg <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2019-02-12\/spacex-launch-certification-to-face-review-by-pentagon-watchdog\" target=_blank>first reported news<\/a> of the investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since becoming certified, SpaceX rockets have transported a number of high-profile national security payloads into space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A Falcon 9 system boosted the Air Force\u2019s first next-generation GPS satellite into orbit in December. That event also marked the first SpaceX launch under the service\u2019s Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program. In 2017, a Falcon 9 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/space\/2017\/06\/07\/x-37b-space-plane-to-get-lift-from-spacex\/\" target=_blank>launched Boeing\u2019s unmanned X-37 space plane<\/a> as part of its latest mission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The review is to launch this month, but what raised suspicions about the certifications?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":50818,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":23,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"4":{"categories":["your-air-force","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters","left-column","home","middle-column"],"primary_category":"your-air-force"},"8":{"categories":["watchdogs","federal-oversight","home","daily-brief","newsletters","acquisition-update"],"primary_category":"watchdogs"},"9":{"categories":["satellites","c2-comms","home","daily-brief","newsletters"],"primary_category":"satellites"}}},"categories":[160,12,163,36,19,23],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3384],"class_list":["post-29527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-industry","category-military-space-report","category-newsletters","category-pentagon","category-space"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"5OG4J3SYXBAA3L76IOSZ4YYEYM","arc_canonical_url":"\/space\/2019\/02\/12\/the-pentagons-inspector-general-is-investigating-the-certification-of-spacex-rocketsbut-its-unclear-why\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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