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AIA Urges Congress To Remove Barriers To Commercial Space Industry
WASHINGTON, D.C. --- In testimony today before the Senate Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space, AIA president John W. Douglass stressed the need for an "enlightened national space program that combines public and private investment in synergistic ways." He noted that there were three areas where government action was needed to remove barriers to the growth of commercial space. Most critical would be the lack of a 5-10 year renewal of the indemnification provisions of the Commercial Space Launch Act.
Douglass noted that without this provision, U.S. companies cannot compete with the government-backed programs of foreign competitors.
Another area of concern, Douglass said, is the lack of modern facilities at our national launch ranges. The time needed to reconfigure facilities between launches is too long for commercial needs, and any glitch in the process adds even longer delays to the launch schedule. These delays wreak havoc in the commercial world, Douglass said, where the start of revenue producing services is critical.
A third impediment to the commercial space industry is export licensing, he said. Because of the current time-consuming licensing process, the U.S. commercial space industry is losing market share in both satellite and launch services. If our U.S. export system is too slow and cumbersome, "our customers will simply purchase satellites from our competitors," he said, adding that the uncertainty inherent in our current system "scares off investment capital and sends potential customers to the perceived safe havens of our European competitors."
Douglass also pointed out the dramatic drop in funding for aerospace research and development over the last two decades. The lack of national investment in R&D is a "serious structural problem which must be remedied to maintain our future competitiveness in the world market," he said.
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AIA Urges Congress To Remove Barriers To Commercial Space Industry