The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) is backing the Air Force and United Launch Alliance (ULA) and opposing former member Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) in the RD-180 debate.
In a June 3 letter to Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-R.I.), AIA President and CEO David Melcher supports the service’s position that authorization to use up to 18 additional engines is necessary to bridge the gap to a domestic launch capability. Melcher said he believes further restrictions on RD-180 purchases would have a substantial impact on the United States’ military, space industrial base and commercial space industry. He also believes it could further diminish competition within the industry.
Melcher said further RD-180 restrictions would drive a sharp drop in the number of Atlas V launches, which could make overhead costs for NASA use of the rocket “prohibitive.” Melcher noted that NASA’s Commercial Crew and Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) programs rley on the Atlas V, though CRS-contractor Orbital ATK [OA] is only using the Atlas V as a short-term replacement until its re-engined Antares is available in July. SpaceX is the other CRS and Commercial Crew contractor and, other than ULA, is the only other company certified to perform national security launches.
Melcher also called for additional funding for developing a domestic engine replacement capability.
“Interim reliance on a more expensive rocket, a foreign launch vehicle or a single U.S. supplier without the demonstrated reliability or capability of the Atlas V is not a practical path forward,” Melcher said.
SpaceX spokesman John Taylor said Monday the company last year opted not to renew its membership in AIA as part of its annual review of organizations of which it is a member. Taylor said SpaceX’s decision had nothing to do with policy differences between the company and AIA. An industry source said Monday that AIA had no position on this issue when SpaceX was a member. AIA did not respond to a request for comment by press time Monday.
ULA is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin [LMT] and Boeing [BA], which are AIA members.