SASC Chairman John McCain Urges Air Force Secretary to Address Russia’s Role in National Security Space Program “Contrary to the estimates you provided to me in private, I am left to conclude that your decision to publicly cite a figure as high as $5 billion was done so to obfuscate efforts to responsibly transition off of the RD-180 before the end of the decade,” writes Chairman McCain. “I invite you […]

McCarthy Introduces Legislation to Reinstate Ban on Russian Rocket Engines “Today, Congressman Kevin McCarthy introduced legislation to reinstate congressionally imposed restrictions on the purchase of RD-180 rocket engines (Russian rocket engines) for military space launches. This bill repeals language from the Fiscal Year 2016 Omnibus Appropriations Bill that not only allows for the unlimited purchase of Russian rocket engines, but also undermines months of transparent debate and bipartisan policy the […]

Sen. McCain blasts Lockheed Martin-Boeing joint venture for dropping out of launch competition, Washington Post “In a statement last month, ULA said “it wants nothing more to compete,” but was prevented from doing so because of the lack of engines, and because it could not comply with the accounting structures required under the contract. It also said that the Air Force used a procurement process that would give a lot […]

Get Putin Out of Our Rockets, Roll Call “But ULA isn’t happy with these restrictions and has been using its influence in Congress to push back. Indeed, Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., whose district houses a major ULA factory has introduced a bill rolling back the limits on Russian engines. At the same time, ULA has decided to limit production of its American-made Delta IV launcher in an effort to strong […]

Sen. McCain Seeks Information on AIr Force’s EELV Program “U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) today sent two letters regarding the Air Force’s Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program – a vital $70 billion national security space-launch program that, without competition, has been plagued by exponential cost growth and schedule delays. The first letter is to Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James requesting additional information about her recent testimony […]