White House Releases New Space Strategy

Boeing and Lockheed To Stay in Launch Business

The Wall Street Journal 01/07/05
author: Andy Pasztor
(Copyright (c) 2005, Dow Jones & Company, Inc.)

The Bush Administration has decided to fund both Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. rockets to launch government satellites through at least the end of the decade, but then expects the private sector to develop less-costly and more-flexible launchers.

The White House today released its updated space transportation policy, laying out broad principles and national security goals for providing "assured access" to the heavens for military satellites, spy spacecraft and other government missions. The document, as expected, emphasizes creation of "a robust space exploration program" and lays out the fundamentals of "reliable and affordable space access."

In addition to calling for astronauts to return to the moon by 2020 and later exploring Mars, the document concludes that "for the foreseeable future," the latest Boeing and Lockheed rockets "shall be the foundation" to get military, homeland security and civil spacecraft into orbit.

But some of the specifics have been most eagerly awaited by rocket and satellite companies. By 2010, the policy envisions that the Pentagon, spy agencies and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration will evaluate the possibility of phasing out one of the current families of large rockets. Such a review is supposed to consider necessary "modifications to "launch, spacecraft or ground operations" to enable faster launches of simpler, less-costly rockets.

In later years, the policy calls for using derivatives of Boeing and Lockheed rockets -- dubbed Evolved Expendable Launch vehicles -- to meet "exploration-unique requirements." But the White House also is keeping open the option of using rocket designs based on the Space Shuttle.

The Space Foundation, a nonprofit advocate of space endeavors and education based in Colorado Springs. Colo., called the new space policy "thoughtful, balanced and forward looking."