Will NASA Space Flights be Privatized?
The future of the U.S. space program and NASA may hinge on the performance of a privately-owned commercial spaceflight company.
SpaceX, or Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, has been working for NASA since 2006 to develop its own rockets and space transportation vehicles in order to deliver goods to the International Space Station within the coming years. An initial contract of nearly $280 Million was awarded to the company in order for it to execute several demonstration flights for NASA, before the space agency would allow the company to transport materials to the International Space Station on its behalf.
Given that the contract was awarded in 2006 - during the Bush administration - it's interesting that SpaceX is now being used as an example of how President Obama's proposal of scaling back NASA could work. By privatizing aspects of space flight and exploration, the U.S. government could conceivably cut spending that is currently devoted to NASA and its sub-agencies. Of course, the far more likely outcome is that the U.S. government will fall into the same spending traps that always seem to occur when it begins outsourcing its most important functions to private sector corporate behemoths. Spending will probably spiral out of control while lobbyists and lawmakers become career puppets for the companies that are ultimately controlling decisions at the highest levels of government.
From a technological standpoint, however, it's difficult to argue with the advantages that the private sector could offer in terms of improving space flight. SpaceX recently completed a successful launch of a 154-foot, 735,000 pound rocket from Cape Canaveral, which ended with a payload capsule reaching its target orbit approximately 150 miles above the earth. This test flight was the culmination of nearly four years of testing and development and was highly successful by all accounts.
The launch encountered many of the standard hiccups that seem to follow space launches, regardless of the organization handling them. There were at least two delays on the launching pad, but eventually the systems were readied and the launch occurred within the desired launch window. Despite the success of the launch and its results, it's shortcomings are now being targeted by opponents of scaling back NASA.
The New York Times printed excerpts from Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison's statement noting her opposition to the idea that NASA's role in space flight can be reduced. "Make no mistake, even this modest success is more than a year behind schedule, and the project deadlines of other private space companies continue to slip as well. This test does not change the fact that commercial space programs are not ready to close the gap in human spaceflight."
Other lawmakers were more optimistic about the results, but it is clear that it is still far too early to determine whether or not NASA space flights can or should be commercialized in the near future. If future SpaceX test flights are as successful as the one performed on Friday, it is likely that NASA will award the company a $1.2 Billion contract to make 12 cargo flights to the International Space Station on its behalf.
There are certainly valid concerns that manned U.S. space flight should be controlled closely by NASA or some other government entity. The safety of U.S. astronauts and protection of U.S. interests in terms of space exploration and research are important considerations that must be weighed and debated before a significant shift can occur in the way that the U.S. Space Program operates. It is likely that Congress will spend a significant amount of time on this issue in the summer of 2010, although the ongoing oil spill crisis in the Gulf of Mexico and mounting international concerns may push debate back into the fall or winter months.
Given that the contract was awarded in 2006 - during the Bush administration - it's interesting that SpaceX is now being used as an example of how President Obama's proposal of scaling back NASA could work. By privatizing aspects of space flight and exploration, the U.S. government could conceivably cut spending that is currently devoted to NASA and its sub-agencies. Of course, the far more likely outcome is that the U.S. government will fall into the same spending traps that always seem to occur when it begins outsourcing its most important functions to private sector corporate behemoths. Spending will probably spiral out of control while lobbyists and lawmakers become career puppets for the companies that are ultimately controlling decisions at the highest levels of government.
From a technological standpoint, however, it's difficult to argue with the advantages that the private sector could offer in terms of improving space flight. SpaceX recently completed a successful launch of a 154-foot, 735,000 pound rocket from Cape Canaveral, which ended with a payload capsule reaching its target orbit approximately 150 miles above the earth. This test flight was the culmination of nearly four years of testing and development and was highly successful by all accounts.
The launch encountered many of the standard hiccups that seem to follow space launches, regardless of the organization handling them. There were at least two delays on the launching pad, but eventually the systems were readied and the launch occurred within the desired launch window. Despite the success of the launch and its results, it's shortcomings are now being targeted by opponents of scaling back NASA.
The New York Times printed excerpts from Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison's statement noting her opposition to the idea that NASA's role in space flight can be reduced. "Make no mistake, even this modest success is more than a year behind schedule, and the project deadlines of other private space companies continue to slip as well. This test does not change the fact that commercial space programs are not ready to close the gap in human spaceflight."
Other lawmakers were more optimistic about the results, but it is clear that it is still far too early to determine whether or not NASA space flights can or should be commercialized in the near future. If future SpaceX test flights are as successful as the one performed on Friday, it is likely that NASA will award the company a $1.2 Billion contract to make 12 cargo flights to the International Space Station on its behalf.
There are certainly valid concerns that manned U.S. space flight should be controlled closely by NASA or some other government entity. The safety of U.S. astronauts and protection of U.S. interests in terms of space exploration and research are important considerations that must be weighed and debated before a significant shift can occur in the way that the U.S. Space Program operates. It is likely that Congress will spend a significant amount of time on this issue in the summer of 2010, although the ongoing oil spill crisis in the Gulf of Mexico and mounting international concerns may push debate back into the fall or winter months.
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