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Comment by jonwachob91 | Hacker News Reader

>>> All U.S. Armed Forces use the JTAR Request Form (DD Form 1972) to request CAS

SpaceX isn't a branch of the US Armed Forces, and neither is NASA...

But both the Coast Guard and the Navy are, and either may have been the 'sponsor' of removing something, with the owner's permission, that was a hazard to navigation or sea operations.

And rather than SpaceX asking, I wonder if the conversation was more, "Are you going to go get that or not? Because if not we're going to sink it." And when the drone recovery vessel returned to port with engine troubles (cited in the article) SpaceX would have reported "Our equipment is down so we're not going to get it right away." And the decision may have been taken out of their hands.

All correct, although one other angle might have been the protection of US space technology. Even though SpaceX is private, I believe their technology is not exportable.

I did not even think about the ITAR issue, but yeah it isn't like there aren't people out there that would love to pick up a booster with 9 re-usable engines in it.

I've always been amused at the bureaucracy getting ITAR licenses to "export" rockets into orbit. But that was when their destruction was assured when they returned.

> people out there that would love to pick up a booster with 9 re-usable engines in it.

Makes me think of the early Keyhole spy satellite program, which returned exposed film to Earth in a capsule. The capsule was to be caught mid-air, and if the catch failed, the capsule would float for five minutes and then sink, with the intent of destroying the sensitive data.

It was discovered that Russian subs were circling under the drop zone.

That's correct, it's covered by ITAR.

I would assume they have someone to contact because I think they are a vendor for the USAF for government contracts.

It would be interesting to be in that meeting though. Probably would be more boring than actually the fun that I am imagining .

"we cannot retrieve the item referred to in section #.#.#.# in the timeframe specified in section #.#.#.#, please follow previously agreed upon contingency plan #.#.#.#"?

SpaceX has tons of dealings with both, though. I highly doubt it's something SpaceX could just do on their own, but it seems completely reasonable that they would have the channels to the correct people to arrange it, especially given the dangers they'd outlined that it posed.

It's not clear to me that phrasing excludes non-military from submitting the form, only that military branches do use it.

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