Ars Technica: The US Air Force has certified private spaceflight company SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket to launch satellites for the Department of Defense and national security agencies. The certification marks the end of the launch monopoly held by United Launch Alliance (ULA)—the partnership between Boeing and Lockheed—since 2006. Prior to the formation of ULA, the two companies had competed for launch contracts under the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) system, which started in 1994. The certification process began in December 2014 after SpaceX dropped its lawsuit against the air force over an $11 billion EELV launch contract with ULA that SpaceX felt was unfairly awarded.
