[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 48 (Monday, December 6, 1999)]
[Pages 2483-2484]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Letter to Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen on the Review
of Space Launch Failures

November 29, 1999

Dear Mr. Secretary:

    Thank you for conducting and reporting on your thorough and in-depth 
review of the U.S. space launch failures that occurred in 1998 and 1999. 
I am pleased to know that you have identified the root causes behind 
each of the recent launch failures and that you have worked with NASA, 
the Intelligence Community, and industry to take corrective actions to 
prevent recurrences. I also appreciate your efforts, and the efforts of 
industry, in uncovering and addressing the broader systemic concerns 
that may have contributed to this series of failures.
    I have asked Dr. Neal Lane, my Assistant for Science and Technology, 
and Mr. Sandy Berger, my Assistant for National Security Affairs, to 
review your report. Now and in the next century, our national security, 
civil, and commercial space sectors will continue to depend on reliable 
access to space to

[[Page 2484]]

achieve our broader national goals. Your report correctly points out the 
importance of successfully flying the remaining current fleet of 
expendable launch vehicles already on contract, with missions valued at 
more than $20 billion, while assuring mission success during the 
transition from these current systems to the modernized Evolved 
Expendable Launch Vehicles.
    Thank you again for the hard work and dedication of the government-
industry team in uncovering the technical and management problems 
associated with these launch failures. Please implement appropriate 
actions to correct the causes of the failures and ensure our nation's 
ability to reliably access space in the future.
                                            William J. Clinton

Note: This item was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on 
December 1. An original was not available for verification of the 
content of this letter.