Congress wants a new “independent” assessment of the machinations surrounding national security space to be conducted over the next year. A stipulation within the 2007 defense authorization bill, awaiting signature by President Bush, calls for a two-part review and assessment. Lawmakers want (1) an evaluation of DOD’s NSS requirements and ability to fulfill those requirements, and (2) near, medium, and far-term actions the department could take to “strengthen United States national security in space.” The second part has numerous subsets, including what’s being done to improve interagency coordination and bridging the gulf between “black space” and “white space.” Congress also appears to be leaning toward putting military space acquisition personnel into long-term assignments in a “specialized career field.”
A new White House policy calls for the Pentagon to craft plans for additional space launch facilities to support a projected increase in launch demand that could see the U.S. supporting as many as 1,000 launches by 2030, more than a fivefold increase from 2025.