[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Pages 11126-11127]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     AMENDMENT NO. 3954 TO S. 2514

  Mr. ALLARD. Madam President, on Friday, amendment No. 3954 to S. 2514 
was approved by the Senate and I would like to make a few remarks 
regarding this important provision.
  I am proud to have sponsored this amendment with my good friend from

[[Page 11127]]

Florida, Senator Nelson. We both have a strong interest in space, for 
personal and constituent reasons, and believe this amendment, while 
only a Sense of the Senate, is important to show that the Senate is on 
record supporting assured access to space.
  United States national security and economic vitality depend on our 
ability to launch a variety of satellites into earth orbit. Access to 
and utilization of space provides an advantage to the United States 
that must be maintained. Unfortunately, significant contractions in the 
commercial space launch marketplace have eroded the overall viability 
of the United States space launch industrial base and could jeopardize 
the ability of the Department of Defense to provide assured access to 
space in the future.
  The Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle, EELV, program is the Air 
Force's solution for assured access. EELV is designed to be more 
responsive and affordable than current launch vehicles. With EELV, the 
Air Force has adopted a commercial launch services approach. The DOD 
also shared with the contractors the investment to develop next 
generation launch vehicles--the Atlas V and Delta IV. In 1997, at a 
time when worldwide projections envisioned 70 launches per year, the 
Air Force decided to retain both EELV contractors rather than down 
selecting to a single provider. The commercial satellite marketplace, 
it appeared, would provide adequate sustainment for the U.S. space 
launch industrial base, thereby justifying the large contractor 
investments in EELV, and providing the DOD a more robust assured access 
capability for a relatively modest government investment. Since 1997, 
however, such launch projections have deteriorated by 65 percent. The 
2002 projection envisions approximately 25 launches per year.
  As the EELV program transitions from development to recurring 
operations, the Air Force is evaluating a range of options for 
sustaining the launch infrastructure and industrial base necessary to 
assure access to space. The key to this effort is the maintenance of 
two financially stable launch service providers that will keep U.S. 
launch providers competitive in the global market and provide backup 
for any technical or operational problems that may be encountered. Such 
a program will not fundamentally alter the projected cost savings 
associated with the EELV program, a 25-50 percent reduction over 
today's systems. The Air Force is currently negotiating with the two 
EELV contractors to develop an appropriate cost and risk sharing 
strategy for assured success.
  The amendment calls on the Air Force to evaluate all the options for 
sustaining the space launch industry base, develop an integrated, long-
range, and adequately funded plan for assuring U.S. access to space, 
and for the Air Force to submit a report to Congress at the earliest 
possible time.
  Again, I want to thank Senator Nelson for working with me on this 
simple but important sense of the Senate. I look forward to working 
with him on this and other space issues in the future.

                          ____________________