The U.S. Air Force put the launch of a tech demo satellite out to bid for SpaceX and ULA. The Air Force issued a request for proposals Sept. 29 for the Space Test Program 3 mission, which consists of the STPSat-6 and a payload adapter that could hold up to six secondary payloads. The competition is the third head-to-head battle between SpaceX and ULA since SpaceX won certification for military launches in 2015. SpaceX won a contract earlier this year for a GPS 3 satellite launch after ULA declined to submit a bid. Both companies submitted bids last month for a second GPS 3 launch.
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