January 29, 2010 Vol. 3, Issue 1
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released an assessment of the capacity of the U.S. industrial base to develop and produce engines for space launch vehicles.
The report, released December 22, 2009, found that the space launch propulsion industrial base has more than enough production capacity to meet the current requirements of both the U.S. government and the commercial space sector. At the same time, low demand for launch vehicles in recent years has created potential long-term risks for the sector, including: supplier retention and quality; workforce retention; and insufficient practice and learning opportunities to sustain workforce skills.
The report also noted that the long-term requirements of the government and commercial space sectors are not sufficient to drive significant private sector investment in new propulsion capabilities and technologies, and government funding for propulsion-related research and development (R&D) activities is very limited.
OSTP concluded that these issues raise important questions about the nation’s ability to achieve breakthroughs in cost or performance related to launch vehicle propulsion, and in the industry’s ability to attract new talent to develop future generations of launch vehicles.
The assessment was conducted by the Science and Technology Policy Institute, a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) that provides analytic support to OSTP.
Read the full report. (PDF)
