Pentagon industrial policy chief concerned U.S. space industry may lose edge

Space shuttle Atlantis' drag chute slows the vehicle as it rolls down Runway 33 at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Landing was at 8:48 a.m. EDT, completing the 12-day STS-132 mission to the International Space Station. The mission is the last planned for Atlantis, and third to the last planned for the Space Shuttle program [NASA/Sandra Joseph].

MDAA - Brett Lambert, Pentagon’s industrial policy chief, said that the U.S. space industry is getting less competitive against Asian and European firms, eventually threatening decades of U.S. primacy in this area. He argues that it is necessary to ease export controls on technologies to help the financing of the sector.

The dominance of the U.S. space industry is threatened by European and Asian firms, the Pentagon’s industrial policy chief said May 25.

“We’re at a tipping point with our space industry,” Brett Lambert said at a forum on the strength of the space industrial base hosted by the George C. Marshall Institute think tank. “We have for so long been the dominant player and the most technologically advanced player.”

European and Asian countries have developed their space industrial bases “not because they wanted to make those investments [but] because they didn’t have access to our technology,” he said. “As they get more capable, we will become less competitive.”

Read the full article, HERE.

Space pioneers battle for greater freedom

CIVILIAN space flight companies are this week pressing the US government to change strict arms-control rules that could cripple their nascent industry.

At issue are the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), which are supposed to prevent technological secrets ending up in the hands of 21 proscribed nations, including China, Iran and North Korea. If a technology appears on a document called the US Munitions List, companies need a licence to export it or to reveal details to a foreign national. Even if granted, the licence often forces the firm to mount a security guard on the system while it is in another country.

The list contains very broad definitions of what should be kept secret, and even includes spacecraft hatches and windows. "That list is written for a cold war world," says Mike Gold of Bigelow Aerospace in Washington DC, which plans to fly crewed inflatable habitats in Earth orbit. "Any space technology, no matter how benign, such as a solar panel or the table you support a craft on in the workshop, is covered by it."

Gold speaks from experience. In 2006, Bigelow launched a model habitat called Genesis 1 on a Russian ballistic missile. ITAR requirements cost the firm $1 million, including $220,000 for two American guards to watch over a support stand no more advanced than a coffee table.

On 21 May, Gold will chair a meeting of the commercial space transportation advisory committee of the Federal Aviation Administration. Alongside specialists from fellow firms such as Virgin Galactic and Space X, he hopes to thrash out exactly what revisions the Munitions List needs. "There are limited government resources for monitoring sensitive technology exports in any case," says Gold. "This will allow the government to spend more time on the truly sensitive stuff, like the rocket technology."

Bigelow has already scored a success. The US Department of State has waived the need for the company's technology to have separate licences for every non-American passenger on its space habitat - a move expected to benefit other space firms.

"It makes sense," says Gold. "Passengers are not exposed to detailed technical data in a Bigelow hab or a Virgin Galactic spaceship. I fly frequently but I still can't build a Boeing 737."

"Imagine if the Star Trek crew had to operate under today's rules," he adds. "Kirk couldn't tell Chekhov to fire the phasers because he's Russian. Or tell Sulu to go to warp speed because he's Japanese. We need to get ITAR right so we can achieve the dream we all have."

Pauls Marks
The New Scientist

Korean launcher delayed by ITAR, etc.

By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter, The Korea Times

Korea’s ambitious plan to put a satellite into the lunar orbit by 2020 could be troubled by difficulties in rocket development.

The country wants to launch a satellite into orbit from its brand new spaceport in Goheung, South Jeolla Province next summer.

But even if the launch of the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1) is a success, the Naro Space Center won’t be used again until 2017, when Korea plans to have its KSLV-2 locked and loaded.

The development of the KSLV-2 is the ultimate challenge for Korea as the government intends to localize the rocket.

Scientists and engineers at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) developed the upper part of the KSLV-1 that is designed to hold a satellite, but Russia’s Khrunichev State Space Science and Production Center is providing the lower assembly of the rocket that contains the liquid-fuel propulsion system.

Countries such as the United States and Russia strictly prohibit the export of rocket propulsion technologies, due to the potential in military use, which means that the Koreans will have to figure out the hard parts themselves.

However, it seems that local scientists and policymakers have yet to agree on what the KSLV-2 should look like.

A Seoul official told The Korea Times that the government plans to spend around 22 billion won (about $15 million) next year to initiate the development of the KSLV-2, although the direction and pace of the project will be greatly effected by the results of the KSLV-1 launch.

``Most of the money will be used to create a blueprint for KSLV-2’s rocket system, which includes establishing its overall capabilities, mission and requirements for components,’’ said the official.

``Developing the liquid-fuel rocket engine will obviously be the biggest challenge, as it is the most crucial step of the project in which we won’t be getting any help. However, there is the possibility that we could partner with companies in other countries for the development of other parts,’’ he said.

There is a wide-ranging debate over how the KSLV-2, designed to support a payload of 1.5 tons, should be used. Some experts say it could be effectively used to launch multi-purpose low-orbit satellites, but the government seems to have bigger plans in mind, such as using the rocket for lunar exploration projects.

``If we have a successful launch in June, the development project for KSLV-2 could be started as early as July or August, and then we could have a clearly discussions about the purpose of the new rocket,’’ the official said.

Read more HERE.