The U.S is looking to cease it’s dependence on Russia for rocket engines and it looks like Elon Musk will be taking their place. Despite a panel warning the U.S about the discontinuation of Russian-made rocket engines, it seems that the safer route for the U.S will be to extend their contract with SpaceX.
U.S AIRFORCE BACKS RUSSIA AGAINST CONGRESS
The panel that has warned the U.S about discontinuing Russian rocket production was commissioned by the U.S Airforce. Congress wants to end use of the Russian RD-180 by 2019, but the Air Force thinks this is too risky. According to them, it would cost taxpayers billions of dollars. In addition to that, the Russian RD-180 is already being used by the Atlas V, one of the superior rockets for military launches. Despite this argument, Congress feels SpaceX is the safer bet.
CONGRESS WANTS LOCAL OVER PUTIN
Congress has been especially opposed to the continued use of the RD-180. They claim it makes the U.S overly dependent on Russia and Vladimir Putin. With control of U.S rockets, Russia has more control over how and when they can launch then Congress would like. Not only is this an inconvenience, but a national security threat. By using SpaceX for future launches, much more control could be put into the hands of the U.S government instead of their “allies”.
SPACEX or ULA THE FUTURE FOR U.S MILITARY?
SpaceX and ULA are the only two that are qualified for military launches. At the moment, they are the only alternatives to Russia and the RD-180. Because of this, the Air Force is encouraging competition between the two. ULA, of course, is in cahoots with Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, the main rival of SpaceX. Bezos’ and Musk have been in a neck and neck battle the past couple of years. The competition has resulted in some healthy developments for space travel and the military would like to see that continue. Prior to 2015, ULA had a monopoly in the industry, but if Musk keeps up his rate of success, the U.S will no longer have use for Russia and their rockets.
