Space Acquisitions: Uncertainties in the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Program Pose Management and Oversight Challenges

The Department of Defense (DOD) plans to spend over $27 billion acquiring launch services through the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program over the next 12 years. The EELV program uses two families of commercially owned and operated vehicles to launch satellites. Partly because the commercial space market did not develop as expected, the EELV program has undergone significant changes. These include: adoption of a new acquisition strategy in 2005 that sought to ensure the viability of the two EELV launch vehicle providers, Boeing and Lockheed Martin; the subsequent decision by those two companies to form a joint venture called the United Launch Alliance (ULA); and a 10-year increase in the life of the program. In light of these changes, GAO was asked to (1) determine what uncertainties DOD faces in the EELV program and in the transition to ULA, and (2) assess how DOD is positioned to manage and oversee the effort. To accomplish this, GAO reviewed a wide variety of DOD documents and interviewed DOD and program officials.