Vector Receives U.S. Air Force Launch Contract

SpaceNews reports Vector has received an U.S. Air Force launch contract worth $3.4 million to orbit experimental satellites.

The contract falls under the Small Rocket Program-Orbital (SRP-O) program run by the Space and Missile Systems Center’s launch enterprise experimental division at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Rocket Systems Launch Program office is part of SMC’s Launch Enterprise.

The Air Force issued a solicitation for bids Dec. 14, 2018, for the Agile Small Launch Operational Normalizer (ASLON). Responses were due Jan. 18.

The ASLON-45 space vehicle manifest will consist of multiple 3U and larger U.S. government cubesats to low Earth orbit (LEO) at a 45 degree inclination. Under the contract, Vector will provide all required dispensers and perform all payload integration and launch operations. The ASLON-45 mission will support the Defense Department’s Space Test Program.