The Defense Department is resisting proposed House legislation that would prohibit use of the Russian-made RD-180 rocket engines in national security space launches, according to a letter obtained by Defense Daily.
In an April 3 letter to House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R-Calif.), Assistant Defense Secretary for Legislative Affairs Elizabeth King strongly opposes legislation that would require DoD shift all Atlas V missions, which use the RD-180, to the Delta IV or new entrants, if and when they become certified. The legislation would also would prohibit government-sponsored research and development (R&D) of a new next-generation rocket engine, something to which DoD officials testified Thursday they would support to ease dependence on the RD-180. The RD-180 is is manufactured by NPO Energomash and distributed in the United States by RD AMROSS, a joint venture of NPO Energomash and Pratt & Whitney, which is a division of United Technologies Corp. [UTX]
“The proposed language, as drafted, is ambiguous and unclear in its intent and scope of coverage,” King said. “However, if enacted and given the most restrictive interpretation, the language would significantly increase national security space (NSS) launch costs, regardless of the plan selected to meet its implementation requirements.”
DoD said the shift of all Atlas V missions to the American-made, but more expensive, Delta IV or new entrants would introduce significant schedule delays, cost increases and disruption of the launch manifest. It would also “effectively” negate significant cost savings and the stabilizing effects on a key portion of the space industrial base, including second- and third-tier suppliers, already achieved by altering the planned implementation of the current contract strategy, DoD said, which is likely the “block buy” of 36 launch cores recently awarded to ULA.
The proposed legislation, DoD said, would also decrease the leverage of the Pentagon and current EELV incumbent United Launch Alliance (ULA) in future competition due to losing the option of using the Atlas V.
“The secretary of defense recently directed the Air Force to conduct a 45-day review to determine the department’s short- and long-term alternatives for reducing our exposure to this supply risk,” King said. “Enactment of the proposed language would severely constrain the options available to the department, should it prohibit the use of the RD-180 engine.”
King reminded McKeon of DoD’s commitment to competing EELV missions as soon as feasibly possible and easing reliance on the RD-180. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel recently instructed the Air Force to conduct a 45-day review to determine DoD’s short- and long-term alternatives for reducing its exposure to dependence on a key, but foreign-made, part of a critical national security capability: assured access to space. The Pentagon also said as competition becomes reality and domestic engine technology progresses, it becomes less susceptible to this foreign supply risk. ULA also has a two-year supply of RD-180s on hand, DoD said, insulating the Air Force against near-term disruptions to the launch manifest.
Air Force and DoD space officials agreed Thursday the U.S. ought to consider pursuing a domestic next-generation engine program to replace the RD-180, though they’d need to tackle some tough funding and industrial base concerns (Defense Daily, April 3). A number of pro-competition senators asked Hagel Tuesday to review the Air Force’s decision to delay and reduce the number of competed EELV launches in the fiscal years 2015-2017 timeframe. The Air Force decided to reduce the number of competed launches from 14 by delaying seven beyond a five-year time frame (Defense Daily, April 2).
The Air Force said it expects to have its RD-180 review results around the end of May. ULA spokesman Mark Bitterman said Friday ULA’s position is “precisely aligned” with the views articulated by King. Bitterman said an immediate cut off of supplies of the RD-180 would result in serious harm to U.S. national security and would force cancellation of legally-binding contracts between DoD and its industrial suppliers, as well as those between suppliers. Any move away from use of the RD-180 on U.S. rockets, Bitterman said, must be considered very carefully and thoughtfully. The 45 day study ordered by Secretary Hagel is precisely the right approach, Bitterman said.
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is in the process of becoming certified to compete for EELV missions. The Air Force determined that the company’s Sept. 29 launch of its Falcon 9v1.1 launch vehicle will count toward its certification. Under an agreement with the Air Force, SpaceX must meet rigorous certification requirements and perform at least three successful flights of a common launch vehicle configuration for the company to be considered for launching critical and high cost national security space payloads.
ULA is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin [LMT] and Boeing [BA].