{"id":29595,"date":"2018-10-10T22:15:51","date_gmt":"2018-10-10T22:15:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/10\/10\/spacex-left-out-of-next-stage-in-air-forces-next-generation-rocket-program\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:30:46","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:30:46","slug":"spacex-left-out-of-next-stage-in-air-forces-next-generation-rocket-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2018\/10\/10\/spacex-left-out-of-next-stage-in-air-forces-next-generation-rocket-program\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX left out of next stage in Air Force\u2019s next-generation rocket program"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 The Air Force on Wednesday awarded contracts to Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems \u2014 formerly known as Orbital ATK \u2014 and United Launch Alliance to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/space\/2017\/10\/06\/air-force-kick-starts-next-gen-rocket-development\/\" target=_blank>continue developing next-generation rockets<\/a>. The shocking decision leaves out SpaceX, although the company could rejoin the competition later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over the next year or so, the companies will create launch system prototypes: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/newsletters\/military-space-report\/2018\/09\/27\/ula-selects-blue-origin-engine-to-power-launch-vehicle\/\" target=\"_blank\">Blue Origin<\/a> with its New Glenn launch system, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/digital-show-dailies\/space-symposium\/2018\/04\/17\/orbital-atk-names-new-rocket-omega-picks-aerojet-rocketdyne-for-engine\/\" target=\"_blank\">Northrop with its OmegA rocket<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/digital-show-dailies\/space-symposium\/2018\/04\/27\/ula-head-teases-vulcan-engine-decision-as-coming-very-soon\/\" target=\"_blank\">ULA with its Vulcan Centaur system<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ultimately, the Air Force will narrow the field from three to two developers, who will continually compete for national security rocket launch opportunities from fiscal year 2020 onward.<\/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\/digital-show-dailies\/air-force-association\/2018\/09\/19\/amazon-founder-jeff-bezos-has-some-advice-for-the-air-force\/\" 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=\"203\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-174890031.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\">Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has some advice for the Air Force<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The world&#039;s richest man is also a wealth of helpful information.<\/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\">SpaceX was considered by many to be a shoo-in to move forward in the competition, which the Air Force calls Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle or EELV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The company will be able to jump into the EELV competition at a later date, an Air Force spokesman clarified in a statement to Defense News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBeyond the offerors selected for award, the Air Force cannot comment on specific offeror\u2019s proposal or whether the Air Force chose not to award to a specific company,\u201d the spokesman said. \u201cIt is important to note that SpaceX is a valuable partner to the launch service community and the Phase 2 solicitation will be a full and open competition for all launch providers who have a low-risk proposal to achieve Air Force certification prior to initial launch.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Oct. 10 awards come in the form of public-private partnerships of various values. ULA\u2019s agreement is worth $967 million in funds from the Air Force, Northrop\u2019s stands at $792 million, while Blue Origin\u2019s clocks in at a mere $500 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SpaceX and ULA, a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin, are the Air Force\u2019s only current launch providers. However, SpaceX has only recently begun flying U.S. military payloads into space, winning its first contract to do so in 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under the EELV program, the competitors must develop or source domestically-produced propulsion systems \u2014 a reversal of the current status quo. ULA\u2019s stalwart Atlas V rocket, which was the dominant launch system for years of national security space missions, is powered by a Russian-made RD-180 engine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Our launch program is a great example of how we are fielding tomorrow&#8217;s Air Force faster and smarter,&#8221; said Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson. \u201cWe&#8217;re making the most of the authorities Congress gave us and we will no longer be reliant on the Russian-built RD-180 rocket engine.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The winning competitors have already begun celebrating the Air Force\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cULA has launched 130 missions, with 100 percent success,\u201d the company said in a statement. \u201cWith an American-made Vulcan Centaur, our customers will get the same reliability with higher performance at a lower cost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jeff Bezos, the Blue Origin founder <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/digital-show-dailies\/air-force-association\/2018\/09\/19\/amazon-founder-jeff-bezos-has-some-advice-for-the-air-force\/\" target=_blank>who spoke at the Air Force Association\u2019s annual conference<\/a> last month, tweeted his thanks to the service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are proud to serve the national security space community and are committed to providing safe, reliable access to space for the nation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Thank you to the <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/usairforce?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@usairforce<\/a> for your confidence in the <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/BlueOrigin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@BlueOrigin<\/a> team and our <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/NewGlenn?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#NewGlenn<\/a> rocket. We are proud to serve the national security space community and are committed to providing safe, reliable access to space for the nation. <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/GradatimFerociter?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#GradatimFerociter<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/AeO3xXhnUi\">pic.twitter.com\/AeO3xXhnUi<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/JeffBezos\/status\/1050136574090825728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 10, 2018<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Northrop Grumman, United Launch Alliance and Blue Origin won big contracts Oct. 10.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":65636,"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":{"2":{"categories":["your-military","news"],"primary_category":"your-military"},"4":{"categories":["your-air-force","news","middle-column","home","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"your-air-force"},"9":{"categories":["industry","home","daily-brief","newsletters"],"primary_category":"industry"}}},"categories":[160,163,36,23],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3384],"class_list":["post-29595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-military-space-report","category-newsletters","category-space"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"LTZ6QD26IVFHBGMOJUM4E3NRVI","arc_canonical_url":"\/space\/2018\/10\/10\/spacex-left-out-of-next-stage-in-air-forces-next-generation-rocket-program\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>SpaceX left out of next stage in Air Force\u2019s next-generation rocket program - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Northrop Grumman, United Launch Alliance and Blue Origin won big contracts Oct. 10.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"SpaceX left out of next stage in Air Force\u2019s next-generation rocket program\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Northrop Grumman, United Launch Alliance and Blue Origin won big contracts Oct. 10.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2018\/10\/10\/spacex-left-out-of-next-stage-in-air-forces-next-generation-rocket-program\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Defense News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-10-10T22:15:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-07T22:30:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Valerie Insinna\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Valerie Insinna\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2018\\\/10\\\/10\\\/spacex-left-out-of-next-stage-in-air-forces-next-generation-rocket-program\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2018\\\/10\\\/10\\\/spacex-left-out-of-next-stage-in-air-forces-next-generation-rocket-program\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"SpaceX left out of next stage in Air Force\u2019s next-generation rocket program\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2018-10-10T22:15:51+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-07T22:30:46+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2018\\\/10\\\/10\\\/spacex-left-out-of-next-stage-in-air-forces-next-generation-rocket-program\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 521,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2018\\\/10\\\/10\\\/spacex-left-out-of-next-stage-in-air-forces-next-generation-rocket-program\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Vandenberg1.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Military Space Report\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Space\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2018\\\/10\\\/10\\\/spacex-left-out-of-next-stage-in-air-forces-next-generation-rocket-program\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2018\\\/10\\\/10\\\/spacex-left-out-of-next-stage-in-air-forces-next-generation-rocket-program\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2018\\\/10\\\/10\\\/spacex-left-out-of-next-stage-in-air-forces-next-generation-rocket-program\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"SpaceX left out of next stage in Air Force\u2019s next-generation rocket program - Defense News\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2018\\\/10\\\/10\\\/spacex-left-out-of-next-stage-in-air-forces-next-generation-rocket-program\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2018\\\/10\\\/10\\\/spacex-left-out-of-next-stage-in-air-forces-next-generation-rocket-program\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Vandenberg1.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2018-10-10T22:15:51+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-07T22:30:46+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Northrop Grumman, United Launch Alliance and Blue Origin won big contracts Oct. 10.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2018\\\/10\\\/10\\\/spacex-left-out-of-next-stage-in-air-forces-next-generation-rocket-program\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2018\\\/10\\\/10\\\/spacex-left-out-of-next-stage-in-air-forces-next-generation-rocket-program\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2018\\\/10\\\/10\\\/spacex-left-out-of-next-stage-in-air-forces-next-generation-rocket-program\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Vandenberg1.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Vandenberg1.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2018\\\/10\\\/10\\\/spacex-left-out-of-next-stage-in-air-forces-next-generation-rocket-program\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Space\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"space\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"SpaceX left out of next stage in Air Force\u2019s next-generation rocket program\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Defense News\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"SpaceX left out of next stage in Air Force\u2019s next-generation rocket program - Defense News","description":"Northrop Grumman, United Launch Alliance and Blue Origin won big contracts Oct. 10.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"SpaceX left out of next stage in Air Force\u2019s next-generation rocket program","og_description":"Northrop Grumman, United Launch Alliance and Blue Origin won big contracts Oct. 10.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2018\/10\/10\/spacex-left-out-of-next-stage-in-air-forces-next-generation-rocket-program\/","og_site_name":"Defense News","article_published_time":"2018-10-10T22:15:51+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-07T22:30:46+00:00","author":"Valerie Insinna","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Valerie Insinna","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2018\/10\/10\/spacex-left-out-of-next-stage-in-air-forces-next-generation-rocket-program\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2018\/10\/10\/spacex-left-out-of-next-stage-in-air-forces-next-generation-rocket-program\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"SpaceX left out of next stage in Air Force\u2019s next-generation rocket program","datePublished":"2018-10-10T22:15:51+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-07T22:30:46+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2018\/10\/10\/spacex-left-out-of-next-stage-in-air-forces-next-generation-rocket-program\/"},"wordCount":521,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2018\/10\/10\/spacex-left-out-of-next-stage-in-air-forces-next-generation-rocket-program\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Vandenberg1.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Military Space Report","Newsletters","Space"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2018\/10\/10\/spacex-left-out-of-next-stage-in-air-forces-next-generation-rocket-program\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2018\/10\/10\/spacex-left-out-of-next-stage-in-air-forces-next-generation-rocket-program\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2018\/10\/10\/spacex-left-out-of-next-stage-in-air-forces-next-generation-rocket-program\/","name":"SpaceX left out of next stage in Air Force\u2019s next-generation rocket program - Defense News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2018\/10\/10\/spacex-left-out-of-next-stage-in-air-forces-next-generation-rocket-program\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2018\/10\/10\/spacex-left-out-of-next-stage-in-air-forces-next-generation-rocket-program\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Vandenberg1.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2018-10-10T22:15:51+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-07T22:30:46+00:00","description":"Northrop Grumman, United Launch Alliance and Blue Origin won big contracts Oct. 10.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2018\/10\/10\/spacex-left-out-of-next-stage-in-air-forces-next-generation-rocket-program\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2018\/10\/10\/spacex-left-out-of-next-stage-in-air-forces-next-generation-rocket-program\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2018\/10\/10\/spacex-left-out-of-next-stage-in-air-forces-next-generation-rocket-program\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Vandenberg1.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Vandenberg1.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2018\/10\/10\/spacex-left-out-of-next-stage-in-air-forces-next-generation-rocket-program\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Space","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/","ad_zone":"space"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"SpaceX left out of next stage in Air Force\u2019s next-generation rocket program"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","name":"Defense News","description":"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization","name":"Defense News","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","caption":"Defense News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Defense News","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Vandenberg1.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29595"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29595\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75290,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29595\/revisions\/75290"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29595"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=29595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}