Boeing to tell Air Force it deserves launch contracts again.(Chicago Tribune)

Byline: Melissa Allison

CHICAGO _ Boeing Co. paid a hefty price in July when the U.S. Air Force found that the company had obtained secret documents from its chief competitor for a rocket project.

The Chicago-based aerospace giant was stripped of about $1 billion in rocket launches.

Boeing also was slapped with an indefinite ban on bidding for future Air Force rocket launches, a key growth area for a company whose critical commercial jetliner business has faltered.

There is little doubt that the government will take Boeing back this year.

Peter Teets, undersecretary of the Air Force, said in July that he expected the suspension to last 60 to …