CONTACT: Charles Miller, 937-431-1054
PART OF "CITIZENS' SPACE AGENDA" PASSES U.S. SENATE
Commercial Space Act Unanimously Adopted
The Commercial Space Act, H.R. 1702, passed the Senate by unanimous consent late Thursday evening. ProSpace has organized nearly 500 individual congressional briefings on this important piece of legislation during this Congress. It is a primary piece of ProSpace's "Citizens' Space Agenda."
ProSpace President, Charles Miller, stated "This is good news for America's commercial space transportation industry, and for the long-term economic and national security of this nation. We have been fighting for this legislation for 4 years, and the U.S. Senate was the last major hurdle. Miller continued, "I expect the House/Senate conference will be concluded quickly this September, and that the President will sign it into law this Fall."
A key provision of the bill provides the U.S. Department of Transportation with the ability to authorize "re-entry" of reusable launch vehicles and commercial payloads. Kistler Aerospace, a company which is developing a reusable launch vehicle without any government financial assistance, had already moved to Australia because the DoT had no authority to allow their operations in the United States. Other American companies have suggested they would follow in Kistler's footsteps if the legislation does not pass.
Miller stated, "This is the most important action Congress has taken on the "ChinaGate" launch issue. Instead of becoming protectionist, we should leapfrog the Chinese and the rest of the international competition. China can have its "horse & buggy" launch vehicle."
He continued, "I want to thank Senators Bill Frist (R-TN) and John McCain (R-AZ) for making this bill a priority in the U.S. Senate. Their stewardship at the Commerce Committee made this happen. I also want to thank Senators Connie Mack (R-FL) and Bob Graham (D-FL) for their leadership and support on this issue. Finally, I want to thank Majority Leader Trent Lott for bringing it to the floor.
In addition to the re-entry authorization, the bill also: a) Requires the government, in most cases, to procure domestic commercial space transportation *services* for U.S. Government payloads, b) Requires the government to purchase space science data - including information about the Moon and other solar system bodies - from the private sector where available, c) Requires NASA to study commercial possibilities for the International Space Station and further privatization of Space Shuttle, and d) Streamlines the licensing process for remote sensing satellites. More information on the Commercial Space Act can be found at <http://www.prospace.org/issues/SpaceCommerce/index.htm>.
ProSpace - The Citizens' Space Lobby - is fighting to "Open the Space Frontier for ALL people as rapidly as possible." For more information about ProSpace, visit <http://www.prospace.org>, or call 937-431-1054.
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"Opening the Space Frontier for ALL People"
For more information on ProSpace - The Citizens' Space Lobby, visit <http://www.prospace.org>
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