February 7, 2014

Air Force To Re-Examine Dual-launch Funding (Source: Space News)

The U.S. Air Force is initiating an extensive review of nearly every element of its launch activities for 2017 and beyond, including the feasibility of U.S. production of the Russian-built RD-180 rocket engine and scrapping the service’s involvement in developing dual-launch capabilities. Gen. William Shelton described the launch study as one of his major initiatives for 2014. The key, he said, is to find the right contracting strategy for space launches in future years.

For nearly a decade, United Launch Alliance, a Boeing-Lockheed Martin joint venture, has had a virtual monopoly on the national security launch market with its Atlas 5 and Delta 4 rockets. But the Air Force plans to introduce competition in the coming years, giving new entrants like Space Exploration Technologies Corp. a shot. (2/6)

Air Force Hopes to See Domestic Production of RD-180 (Source: Space News)

The Air Force will examine the Atlas 5’s RD-180 main engine, built by RSC Energomash in Russia and sold to ULA by RD-Amross, a joint venture between the Russian manufacturer and United Technologies Corp. Although ULA says it has a solid stockpile of RD-180s, reliance on Russian engines for national security launch has long been a simmering concern.

In November, however, Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) introduced a bill calling for an estimate of the costs of manufacturing an alternative to the Russian-made RD-180 engine in the U.S. The bill also asked for an estimate of the savings that a U.S. engine would provide during the life of the EELV program, on which ULA is prime contractor. Bill Parsons of RD-Amross said the company likes the idea of building the RD-180 in the U.S. — RD-Amross has all the designs for the engine — but doing so could increase its cost by as much as 50 percent.

Shelton was skeptical. “I think there’s certainly people have their own motivations for making those kind of statements,” Shelton said. “Do we want to insulate ourselves from future concerns about reliability of delivery of RD-180s? That is a true national security question.” Editor's Note: Pratt & Whitney had originally planned to produce U.S. versions of the RD-180 at its West Palm Beach, Florida, facility. Would that facility still be used now that UTC sold Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne? (2/6)