Anna Forrester
SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell has told Defense News that the company continues to work with the U.S. Air Force as it seeks certification for military space launches by June.
Shotwell told Aaron Mehta in an interview published Monday that SpaceX has worked to address cultural challenges during the certification process and reached a new understanding with the service on the requirements to deliver military launch services.
She noted that the company is also currently supporting the Air Force’s efforts to make potential changes to the certification program as well as focusing investments on reusable technology.
“The higher margins to accommodate the re-entry, and then the ability for us to assess and do forensics on the rocket after the fact [would benefit national security missions],” Shotwell said.
She added that factors such as reliability and cost also contribute to the interest in reusable space vehicles.
