Tory Bruno Says ULA Didn't Get to Compete for Air Force X-37B Launch That Went to SpaceX

U.S. Air Force's X-37B spaceplane
The U.S. Air Force's X-37B spaceplane sits on the runway at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, in this 2014 file photo. (Image credit: Boeing)

WASHINGTON — United Launch Alliance did not get the opportunity to compete for the next launch of the Air Force's X-37B space plane, according to company officials.

Tory Bruno, ULA's president and chief executive, tweeted June 9 in response to a question that his company didn't have the chance to bid on the launch contract.

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The Air Force announced June 6 that SpaceX won the contract for the fifth launch of the service's secretive experimental spacecraft, and Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said in congressional testimony the same day that the launch is scheduled for August.

ULA has launched the previous four X-37B missions aboard Atlas 5 rockets.

A spokesperson for the Air Force declined to comment on the contract or the launch, saying that they could not provide details.

ULA confirmed Bruno's tweet in a statement to SpaceNews.

"ULA did not have the opportunity to bid for the Air Force's fifth X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) mission which was recently awarded," the emailed statement said. "ULA remains fully committed to continuing to support America's national security missions with world-class launch services."

This story was provided by SpaceNews, dedicated to covering all aspects of the space industry.

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Phillip Swarts
Contributing Writer

Phillip Swarts covered the military, national security and government contracting in space for Space News from 2016 to 2017. A master's graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, Swarts's work can also be found at The Washington Times and Air Force Times. More recently, he has worked as a teacher for the Arlington Public School District.