Late Wednesday evening, the United States Court of Federal Claims granted SpaceX’s request for an injunction to prevent US-based companies from buying RD-180 rocket engines for use in government space launches. The injunction specifically applies against the United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed-Martin that provides unmanned rocket launch services to NASA and other US government agencies (the injunction’s full text is available here).

At a press conference last week, SpaceX CEO and founder Elon Musk accused the United States government of entering into improper and uncompeted launch agreements with private contractors that in turn are purchasing rocket engines from Russia. Musk feels that SpaceX’s rockets can do the same job at a far lower cost but that the launch contracts were simply awarded to the ULA without SpaceX being given the opportunity to prove its capabilities. "We’re just protesting and saying these launches should be competed," said Musk at the press conference. "And if we compete and lose, that’s fine, but why were they not even competed?"

Wednesday’s injunction comes in response to a complaint filed by SpaceX on April 28, wherein the company's lawyers formalized Musk’s complaints and requested that the government intervene. The complaint goes further, stating not only that the launches were unfairly "sole sourced" (that is, granted to a single company without giving others the opportunity to bid on or compete for the work) but also raising concerns about the source of the rocket engines used for many of the launches:

The April 28, 2014 Complaint alleges that the majority of EELV launch vehicles use RD-180 rocket engines manufactured by NPO Energomash, a corporation owned and controlled by the Russian Government. Dmitry Rogozin, the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, is the head of the Russian defense industry and, in particular, the Russian space program.

The ULA mainly operates two different launch vehicles under the banner of the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program: Delta IV and Atlas V. The Atlas V rocket uses the Russian RP-1 powered RD-180 engines in its first stage, while the Delta IV’s first stage uses US-built cryogenic RS-68 engines (which are far less powerful but more efficient).

Because of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, Rogozin is currently listed on a "Specifically Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List." Further, in March 2014, President Obama issued Executive Order 13,661, which declares in part that "all property and interests [of Deputy Prime Minister Rogozin]…are blocked and may not be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in." Because Rogozin is the head of the Russian space program, the complaint argues, he potentially benefits financially from the ULA’s engine purchases.

The injunction is effective immediately and prohibits the ULA from conducting any additional business with NPO Energomash or any other entity under the control of Rogozin "unless and until the court receives the opinion of the United States Department of the Treasury, and the United States Department of Commerce and United States Department of State, that any such purchases or payments will not directly or indirectly contravene Executive Order 13,661."

After the sanctions of Executive Order 13,661 were announced, Rogozin snidely commented via Twitter, "After analysing the sanctions against our space industry I suggest the US delivers its astronauts to the ISS with a trampoline."

Listing image by NASA