Posted: Thu, Jul 22, 2004, 11:18 PM ET (0318 GMT)
A proposed new federal policy would require the military to select only one of the two existing major launch vehicle providers to continue supporting by the end of the decade, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. According to the article a draft space transportation policy drafted by the Bush Administration would require the Pentagon to select either Boeing's Delta 4 or Lockheed Martin's Atlas 5 as its sole EELV provider by 2009. The downselect is being proposed because of the expense of supporting both launch vehicle programs given the current weak demand for commercial launches. The military has insisted that its "assured access to space" policy requires both vehicle lines be kept active, so that the military can continue launching critical payloads should a problem shut down one vehicle program for an extended period. The plan would also require NASA to use EELVs for its future space exploration programs, rather than develop its own successor to the space shuttle.

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•  Wall Street Journal article (subscription required)