United Launch Alliance's Atlas V prepares to launch a NASA spacecraft Photo Credit/NASA
Increasingly U. S. national security depends on a healthy commercial space sector, a report entitled, National Security and the Commercial Space Sector, released this week by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank, concludes.
The 88-page report exposes vulnerabilities to the nation’s economic well being as part of the security concern. In other words, think of our growing every day reliance on electronic banking for the smallest as well as the largest financial transactions, using the ATM to obtain cash or purchase gasoline, or shifting funds into make an investment, or pay the mortgage.
At the same time, the Pentagon relies on these same services (up to 96 percent commercial) to support its troop presence in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“The U. S. relies more heavily on satellite services than any country in the world and U. S. national security is already highly dependent on commercial satellites. Dependence translates to vulnerability, if access is interrupted,” according to the report. “If no such vulnerability exists, and none is foreseen, policy makers and decision makers have no cause for concern. Unfortunately, that does not appear to be the case.”
Vulnerability, according to the report, translates into having lots of spacecraft already in space or available for launching as replacements.
Here are some of the problems the CSIS report points out:
A. Restricted access to U. S. launch facilities.
B. Very limited access to foreign launch services.
C. Weaknesses in the U. S. industrial base.
D. Rising launch costs.
E. Limited alternatives if a major commercial rocket is grounded by an accident.
F. Lack of a comprehensive national space policy that underpins U. S. technical leadership in space.
The CSIS report outlines several options for policymakers to consider as they address the concerns.
1. Look to agreements with foreign launch providers, or ease U. S. export controls.
2. Foster more competition in the United States, possibly by building up the government launch infrastructure, including easier access to the Air Force range.
3. Nationalize launch services.
4. Enhance demand with more government space services, i.e. create more government demand for satellites as a means of creating a greater market for commercial satellites and launch services.