Fwd: John Kelly: Military now favors launch competition

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From: Kent Castle <kent.d.castle@hotmail.com>
Date: February 12, 2013 4:41:26 PM GMT-06:00
To: Carman Gilbert <gil77546@sbcglobal.net>, Choban Peter <peter.s.choban@aero.org>, Baird Darren <darren.t.baird@nasa.gov>, Martin Bobby <bobbygmartin1938@gmail.com>, Patterson James <w8ljz@aol.com>, Tallman Curt <cgtallman@earthlink.net>
Subject: FW: John Kelly: Military now favors launch competition

 

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From: Subject: FW: John Kelly: Military now favors launch competition
Date: Sun, 10 Feb 2013 20:05:21 -0600

FLORIDA TODAY

Feb. 9, 2013 11:30 PM

 

John Kelly: Military now favors launch competition

Written by

John Kelly

Space

 

For the first time in a decade and a half, the U.S. Air Force says it's working to provide a way to re-introduce competition into its purchase of launches for government spacecraft.

 

The reason: under the current setup, with one provider, the price of a rocket ride to orbit for military and intelligence satellites is rising. The military knows there are new providers that might be capable of delivering the same service for less money.

 

The military is working to open the competition to new providers, but it also must make sure spy satellites, military spacecraft and other payloads get to orbit.

 

At its simplest level, the predicament is SpaceX and Orbital Sciences want a shot at some of the lucrative government launches locked up for now by United Launch Alliance's Atlas V and Delta IV rockets and the government would love to have a second bidder to help drive the price down.

 

Heavier versions of SpaceX's Falcon rocket fleet may be capable of lifting some of the payloads that, under current rules, almost automatically go to United Launch Alliance's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles. The concern for the government is whether the Falcon has enough "experience" to be deemed reliable enough to risk losing a multi-billion satellite that is critical to national security. The Catch-22 for SpaceX is how to acquire that experience if it can't win launches in the first place.

 

The issue is big for the launch industry, the Pentagon and Congress. A recent review by the Government Accountability Office of the Air Force's approach to open the door to "new entrants" such as SpaceX and Orbital shows some progress on the issues. The Defense Department made a move last year to start opening the door further by awarding two science and research level missions to SpaceX. A pair of craft will be launched on Falcon vehicles from Cape Canaveral in 2014 and 2015. That's a start.

 

The GAO review also found there's a perception among competitors that the system still favors the incumbent United Launch Alliance, a partnership of powerful space contractors Lockheed Martin Corp. and The Boeing Co. Supporters of the legacy contractors have a point about experience and track record and it's appropriate for the government to fret about losing expensive spacecraft by moving with too must haste to cheaper, but less experienced vehicles.

 

Still, more needs to be done to open the launches to competition if the U.S. is going to make big gains in reducing the cost of getting spacecraft to orbit. That cost remains the prime hindrance to real growth in the space industry and accelerated progress in exploration of the solar system.

 

SpaceX and other new entrants deserve a fair shot at more government launches and it seems there ought to be a way to set up some common sense guidelines and ending what is nearly a monopoly on government launches. Monopoly can't result in anything but higher cost to the taxpayer.

 

The program that spawned the Atlas V and Delta IV rockets was set up to save taxpayers money, but the Government Accountability Office notes "for various reasons, EELV program costs have continued to rise."

 

A lack of competition is not specifically cited as a reason, but we'd all be hard-pressed to argue that monopoly is the best path forward. At least, there's slight movement forward on the issue. Congress, its auditors and companies like SpaceX and Orbital need to keep pushing for real competition if we're going to see launch innovation.

 

 

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