The Boeing/Lockheed Martin joint firm, the United Launch Alliance (ULA), has been awarded a US$373.3 million contract modification to add two more launches to its manifest to carry National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) satellite payloads. The launches, respectively for a Delta IV Heavy and an Atlas V 421, will take place from the launch sites in Vandenberg, California, and Cape Canaveral, Florida before 30 January 2019.
The news was a boost for ULA which, due to Russian RD-180 engine supply and use issues, finds itself unable to bid for GPS launches which will now, by default, go to SpaceX and its Falcon 9.
