USAF Awards Launch Contract Formerly Held by Vector to Aveum
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (USAF PR) — The U.S. Air Force’s Rocket Systems Launch Program (RSLP) office, part of the Space and Missile Systems Center Launch Enterprise, awarded a $4.9 million contract to Aevum, Inc. today for the Agile Small Launch Operational Normalizer (ASLON)-45 space lift mission via RSLP’s Small Rocket Program-Orbital (SRP-O) framework.
The ASLON-45 mission will provide orbital launch services in support of the Department of Defense Space Test Program and other Government agencies; improving the DOD’s real-time threat warnings.
SMC originally selected Vector Launch, Inc. for the award; however, Vector formally withdrew on Aug. 26, 2019. The RSLP used the Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 13.5 Simplified Acquisition Procedures to expedite another award to deliver affordable innovative warfighter capabilities faster.
“We re-awarded this mission in just 14 days, with no impact to launch or mission,” said Lt. Col. Ryan Rose, Small Launch and Targets Division Chief. “My team is working hard to make contract awards faster and this is an outstanding example of how we exemplify resiliency and flexibility in our contracting and acquisition practices,” she added.
This will be the first U.S. Air Force mission for Aevum, Inc. and will be launched from Cecil Air and Space Port in Jacksonville, Fla. The initial launch capability of the ASLON-45 mission is scheduled for the third quarter of 2021.
“The Small Rocket Program-Orbital framework provides orbital launch services to academia, DOD, and other Government agencies for operations, research, development, and test missions and is a shining example of SMC’s drive to provide innovation and partnership across the Enterprise faster than ever before,” said Col. Robert Bongiovi, director of SMC’s Launch Enterprise. “These orbital missions, like ALSON-45, can be used to directly support the warfighter and demonstrate new weapon system technologies and concepts.”
SMC, home to world-class satellite acquisition professionals, is the U.S. Air Force’s Center of Excellence for acquiring and developing military space systems. SMC’s vast portfolio includes space launch, global positioning, military space vehicle communications, defense meteorological space vehicles, range systems, space vehicle control networks, space-based infrared systems, and space situational awareness capabilities.
10 responses to “USAF Awards Launch Contract Formerly Held by Vector to Aveum”
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Vector starts to resemble the dodo bird a lot now. Not the outcome I was hoping for
Aveum or Aevum?
The latter. I don’t know why the name is misspelled in the headline and two other places when the picture accompanying the post has the company name included in it. I guess, “Write whatever you want about me, but spell my name right,” doesn’t apply anymore.
That aircraft isn’t going to be cheap to design, build, test, and maintain. They seem to be repeating the mistakes of Stratolaunch.
in fact, if they were smart, they would buy stratolaunch’s aircraft, finish it up while focusing on the rocket side of the equation.
Stratolaunch seems to want quite a pretty penny for Roc. And it won’t fly as high or as fast as Aevum’s planned UAV. But, mainly, Roc is way too big. The Aevum UAV is supposed to be the size of a small fighter jet.
Aevum avoids a lot of expense by making it a UAV.
Sorry, I don’t buy this assertion. Their renderings do not look like any subsonic UAV I’ve ever seen.This looks like a supersonic vehicle powered by turbojets.
Things that are different, just aren’t the same.
It is supposed to be supersonic. So have the last several land speed record “cars,” and those projects don’t have enormous budgets either. Aevum certainly has an easier time of it designing something supersonic that is supposed to operate at high altitude and not run on the ground. It also has the considerable cost and engineering effort advantage of not having to keep a pilot/driver alive during operation. I simply don’t understand why you think it’s going to cost the Earth to design and build this thing.
Let’s give them a couple years and see where they end up.