Tuesday, April 13, 2010
(graphic: NASA)
President Barack Obama’s plan to revamp the nation’s space program is not sitting well with two of NASA’s biggest aerospace contractors, Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Under the new vision put forth by Obama, NASA would scrap its return to the moon and instead work with both big and small companies to develop “space taxis” for shuttling crews and equipment between earth and orbiting space stations, including the International Space Station.
Boeing and Lockheed Martin each lost money on new rockets developed to meet what was supposed to be new commercial opportunities in space, which is why the corporations are privately doubting Obama’s plan while publicly endorsing it.
“Senior Boeing executives have told me that they are skeptical about new launch opportunities, given the losses they incurred on previous initiatives such as Sea Launch and the Pentagon’s expendable launcher program,” Loren Thompson, an analyst at the Lexington Institute, told The New York Times. “They are unlikely to invest large amounts of money on the new NASA vision.”
The key may lie in how much risk the companies have to absorb. If NASA covers any potential losses from the new program, Boeing and Lockheed Martin may climb aboard. If not, then Boeing, at least, is expected to refuse participation.
Meanwhile, newer companies have been entering the space field. Among them are Bigelow Aerospace, which is developing capsule designs and inflatable space habitats; Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, which is working on rockets and crew capsules; and Blue Origin, which is planning a capsule.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Aerospace Business Has Its Doubts About Plans to Revamp NASA (by Kenneth Chang, New York Times)
Comments