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XCOR COO Warns That Proposed State Department Rule Could Cripple Space Tourism
MarkWhittington writes "Andrew Nelson, the chief operating officer of XCOR Aerospace, a company that proposes to take paying customers on suborbital jaunts on its Lynx rocketplane, posted some good news/bad news concerning some proposed rule changes from the State Department on June 3, 2013. On the good news side, the Department of State has proposed changes (PDF) that would move satellites from the Department of Defense's Munitions list, where they have been since 1999, to the Department of Commerce's commerce control list. 'This is a great step for the industry. Since the time commercial satellites were placed on the munitions list in 1999, the commercial satellite industry was almost wiped out.' On the bad news side, the State Department proposes to place commercial manned spacecraft on the DOD munitions list, making it very difficult if not impossible to fly them outside the United States. 'This is the same backward path provided to the US satellite manufacturing and launch community two decades ago that almost decimated that industry.'"
That one person or very few people in our government are exerting almost complete totalitarian control over what goes up and comes down from space.
This is patently UN American. It is the antithesis to the spirit of freedom and exploration.
Can we please take this power away from these few individuals and at least tie it up in bureaucratic red tape so we can build an industry to lobby for its control later on before we miss this golden opportunity...
Oh well. Screw it. It never was about science, tech, or enlightenment (despite the all seeing eye being on everything), always politics, greed, and fear.
Does this mean Virgin Intergalactic will be offshoring their operation, like what happened with RSA when the government pressured them on crypto?
In SOVIET RUSSIA... erm...NSA AMERICA, the Internet logs onto YOU!
because otherwise, aren't the facilities for american space tourist corps inside usa?
(on another note, space tourism has been subject of pop sci type of magazine articles for some fifteen years now.. and all companies that could put something to orbit have more lucrative payloads)
world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
Is still an ICBM.
captcha: culpable
Once again the US trying to enforce laws outside of its jurisdiction...
So my question is what would they do about it? Shoot down a rocket with 12 rich blokes on a joy ride into space? I would be interested in how the media would cover that...
I actually don't mind the DOD being interested in such vessels, but they likely they need to (re-)assess its internal processes into how it will track, monitor and authorize vessels heading into space.
Hmm, the humour and sarcasm seem to have been be lost on you.
That's crazy talk. Everybody knows that warheads just shrivel up if you provide them with life support and cushy seats!
But how to you orbit within the United States? Or are we claiming all of space now?
When the Government lost the ability for manned flight they would have to make things so that the private sector would be still in their control.
After all, it's Soyuz that keeps the ISS manned, and Proton that provides most of its supplies. No US components or technology (maybe some really ancient/proven stuff).
Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. - Voltaire
...and more about ITAR.
I can't tell you how much of a pain in the ass ITAR is to deal with when experts on various aspects of the mission the satellite needs to accomplish are foreign nationals.
to see how many people seem to believe that proposed rules are already in effect. Please read the article a bit more carefully, guys.
That said, this rule really shows how crazy the US government has gotten.
In SOVIET RUSSIA... erm...NSA AMERICA, the Internet logs onto YOU!
The empire that keeps trade routes open prospers.
The empire that lords over its own people falters, and a new core of empire forms on its outskirts.
Retracting empire doesn't care if it's age-old dictatorship and corruption, or if it's gigatons of well-meaning regulation. Set that down in stone.
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
According to the article satellites currently are counted as munitions and they end up in orbit so, regardless of how US law deals with it, it must be possible to launch "munitions" into orbit. My guess is that the problem will occur when you try to land after achieving orbit: you will need to land back i the US. However, since Virgin Galactic just gets you to the boundary of space and back without achieving orbit, the only human orbital capability at the moment is russian.
The Chinese or Russians will build them instead. They are capable of doing this and the American industry will sink.
That one person or very few people in our government are exerting almost complete totalitarian control over what goes up and comes down from space.
This is patently UN American.
The IRS decides that only groups with leftist names can be considered non-profits.
The DOJ decides that mexican drug lords can get all of the rifles we can ship to them while attempting to limit in any was possible U.S. citizen ownership and carrying of firearms.
I'm not quite sure what makes you think one government group doing what all the others are doing in different ways is un-american? It seems quite the American fashion now for a small handful to dictate behavior for a nation.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
So, did that rule nearly wipe out commercial satellites or did it only decimate it?
What he should have said is that it would cripple space tourism from the US. Other countries would be happy to jump in and take up the slack.
Maybe a company in some other country will implement Pretty Good Payload.
Restricting the export of rockets under export control makes sense when you think about how 90% of modern space rocketry in the US is ultimately derived from ICBM programs (the first Americans in space all went into orbit on modified Redstone, Atlas and Titan ICBMs)
This is very good news for the rest of the world. The best thing the USA has done to stimulate the foreign high tech industry was the ITAR law and now this. This is a great opportunity for us.
Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!
When Manned space flight is classified as a "Munition" in the USA....
Only Russians can get a Man to the Space Station.
DOH....
And if you're a PERSON who knows something about SPACECRAFT, you, too, will be considered a munition.
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
This sounds like an American problem. Great for the rest of the world if the yanks can't get their act together. Who says they own space?
Just to be smart ass. Providing people with the opportunity to participate in peaceful activities they enjoy while supporting themselves and their families usually results in more peaceful behavior.
The losses in the satellite launch business were due to the suspension of the space shuttle program after the Columbia broke up during re-entry coupled with the beginning of the Chinese commercial satellite launch program. Any new developments will find their way to the Chinese if the Commerce Department is in control. You can spend billions developing the best and safest orbital delivery system but, with hookers and a relatively small amount of cash, the designs for your system will be left on a laptop in an unlocked car. A year later the Chinese will be mass producing launch vehicles that look and perform just like yours does (they might change the paint).