SFS News: SpaceX Signs Contract with Department of Defense..

Hawthorne, CA, (SpaceX) – Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) announced that it has signed a contract with the Department of Defense’s Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) Office to carry their first Jumpstart mission payload onboard the upcoming Falcon 1 launch.

Scheduled for flight in June 2008 from the SpaceX launch complex in the Central Pacific Marshall Islands’ Kwajalein Atoll, the Jumpstart mission aims to establish a preliminary framework for responsive contracting, and to demonstrate the ability to rapidly integrate and execute a mission, from initial call-up to launch.

SpaceX will demonstrate its ability to perform responsive mission integration for three separate candidate ORS payloads. The actual flight payload will be determined by the ORS Office at or before the SpaceX Flight Readiness Review for the Falcon 1 Flight 003 (F1-003) vehicle, which typically occurs two weeks before launch.

“In purchasing this flight, the Department of Defense’s ORS Office has given SpaceX a tremendous endorsement,â€

Wow, an other major coup for SpaceX. Getting a launch with the DoD is a significant accomplishment for sure. This should sends a big message to commercial satellite manufacturers. If the DoD feels comfortable using the Falcon 1 the it will open up potential market opportunities for SpaceX.