NASA says competition is key to private space race
Competition is vital to the race among private companies to replace the space shuttle, NASA said Thursday, after Congress called for the US space agency to fund a single company.
"We believe that competition is key to accelerating this program," said NASA deputy administrator Lori Garver in a conference call with reporters.
"We are ushering in a new era that embraces the innovation of the private sector along with the importance of what we do here in the government."
The renewed debate over how to quickly restore US access to the International Space Station following the shuttle's retirement comes as California-based SpaceX is preparing for its first cargo test flight to the orbiting lab on Saturday.
But with plans for a crew-capable spacecraft not expected before the 2015-2017 timeframe, and NASA pouring hundreds of millions of dollars in seed money into four private companies, some lawmakers have urged a narrower process.
The House of Representatives last week passed a bill that calls on NASA to make an immediate choice of one company for the commercial crew funding it plans to distribute later this year, expected to be around $500 million.
Last year, NASA's Commercial Crew Development program gave nearly $270 million to four companies: Blue Origin ($22 million), Boeing ($92.3 million), SpaceX ($75 million), and Sierra Nevada ($80 million).
Congressman Frank Wolf, a Republican from Virginia and chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees NASA's budget, said last week the current approach "runs a high risk of failure" by funding numerous companies.
The scheme makes it likely to leave the "taxpayer with no tangible benefits in exchange for a substantial investment," he added.
NASA promotes competition
With the recent announcement of the Planetary Resources initiative, I was wondering when NASA would be making an official statement. The statement is exactly what I thought it would be, the promotion of competitors. It would bring in new faces, generate more interest, and lower the cost of space travel/exploration.
Naturally members of congress want NASA to focus on a single company. If they were to go that way, I'd be surprised if they picked anyone but Bowing. They have a bit of a history. Congressman Wolf should really stop talking too... There's quite a bit of terribly managed funding/taxes/investments. Lets see... The war on drugs, the war on terror, the banker bailouts, etc. Yeah, that's some great management.
