Sometimes, success has unforeseen consequences. The United States Space Force and Air Force (and NASA) have, in essence, decided they will simply procure space launch as a service from SpaceX. This isn’t an actual decision but is nevertheless true enough, as it has become the default situation. Cost and availability — the comparative ease of getting a launch slot — have resulted in tremendous business success for SpaceX.
An unforeseen consequence of this success is that the Space Force, the Air Force, and NASA have deprioritized rocket research and development efforts that would foster continued independent space access. Some programmatic officers would suggest there is no need for the government to continue to pursue rocket science. SpaceX is doing the required R&D, so why spend money on anything other than what’s needed for deep space?
Imagine if the U.S. government had decided to stop further aircraft R&D because the Ford Tri-Motor was finally flying between Cleveland and Chicago. After all, Ford was a great industrialist in the late 1930s who obviously knew where this sort of investment needed to go far better than someone in a government lab. And had it not been for Ford’s close ties to German industry (and his equally shameful attitude towards ethnic minorities here in the U.S.) such might have been our history. But then-President Franklin Roosevelt kept the U.S. government working on incremental and breakthrough technology.
This sort of attitude — where the government spends money on what’s available now instead of investing in the development and implementation of new technology — isn’t new. The Air Force fought the development and procurement of GPS hammer and tong. Why? Developing, buying, and deploying GPS took away money that could be used to purchase more F-16s; GPS didn’t put rubber on the ramp.
This was a short-sighted view, but it is a typical view through the decades. It’s as if the Air Force were…
Read the full article here