spacetoday.net: NASA selects SpaceX for LC-39A lease

Posted: Sat, Dec 14, 2013, 9:55 AM ET (1455 GMT)
Launch Complex 39A commercial use illus. (NASA/KSC)

NASA announced Friday that it will begin negotiations with SpaceX for the lease of Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A), a day after another government agency rejected a protest of the bid process. If a lease agreement is reached, SpaceX will take over operations of the former Space Shuttle launch pad, allowing the company to use the pad for launches of its Falcon rockets. SpaceX officials said that while they originally proposed to make use of the pad exclusively, they would now be open to allowing other companies to use the pad if they desired. SpaceX was one of two companies that submitted proposals to NASA to lease the pad. The other company, Blue Origin, filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) about whether multi-user proposals would be treated more favorably than exclusive-use ones. The GAO denied the protest on Thursday.