So far, little attention has been paid to a potentially important new start in the Fiscal Year 2007 US defence budget: the first funding line in years to be dedicated to a military, partially reusable space launch vehicle. If it survives this year's budget deliberations in Congress, the Affordable Responsive Spacelift (ARES) programme could start with flight tests of a small X-plane demonstrator as early as 2010.
Another little-publicised new development in 2005 was that the new-start SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies) company announced an order for the Falcon 9 expendable launcher from an unspecified US government customer. The US Air Force (USAF) had previously ordered launches from SpaceX, covering the small Falcon 1, but this was the first US government order for a medium-class launcher from a non-traditional company.
From Janes's.
Approach with caution. This is Bill Sweetman after all.
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