Orbital ATK [OA] CEO David Thompson on Tuesday proposed not using excess ICBM motors in the 100 kg to 400 kg commercial launch class if Congress permits the Air Force to sell these motors for use in commercial launches.
“Let’s protect that,” Thompson told an audience at a Washington Space Business Roundtable (WSBR) event in Washington. “Let’s not allow the ICBM-derived vehicles to compete in that segment as long as the new commercial vehicles are developed and operated successfully.”
The Air Force has between 800 and 1,000 excess ICBM motors in storage. Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) chief Gen. John Hyten said in April that the service has spent hundreds of millions of dollars over the years keeping these excess motors ready to fly. Thompson estimated the service spends about $20 million per year to preserve these motors. Orbital ATK proposed making these motors available for commercial launches and would use them in its Minotaur launch vehicle, which is currently restricted by law to using these excess ICBM motors only for DoD flights.
Thompson said “several companies” are interested in competing for these excess ICBM motors, but Orbital ATK is one of less than a handful with the expertise to work with the motors. Defense Daily was told that L-3 Coleman Aerospace [LLL] and Lockheed Martin [LMT] would be interested in excess ICBM motors as both make targets that could use the motors. Messages left for Coleman Aerospace President Daniel Kelly and Lockheed Martin were not returned by press time.
Orbital ATK’s excess ICBM motor proposal brought criticism from a number of companies developing smaller launch vehicles, including Rocket Lab. Company CEO Peter Beck said in April making these motors available would stifle innovation and also serve like a subsidy. Beck reiterated his opposition on Tuesday, even with Thompson’s proposed conciliation. Through a spokeswoman, Beck said regardless of payload size, Rocket Lab believes placing these excess motors on the commercial market undermines the innovative commercial investments that are enabling the future of space transportation. Rocket Lab is developing its Electron rocket for launches in the 150 kg to 500 kg class.
Beck said the commercial space launch industry has seen a high level of investment in low-cost and highly-innovative launch vehicles over the past few years and that dumping a large quantity of old technology to subsidize one launch provider can’t be good for the growth and future of the United States space industry.
Eric Stallmer, president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF), has also opposed excess ICBM motors being available for commercial use. Stallmer said Tuesday, even with Thompson’s proposal, Orbital ATK would be competing with larger launch companies like Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) and companies that could aggregate those midsized payloads between 100 kg and 500 kg.
Stallmer said he was encouraged by Thompson’s proposal and wondered if there was a “sweet spot” for payloads that couldn’t be launched by either end of the spectrum: by small or large launch companies. Stallmer said he wasn’t sure where that sweet spot was, but that it would be worth looking into.
James Muncy, founder of independent space policy consultancy PoliSpace and a commercial space advocate, said he was opposed to Thompson’s proposal. Muncy said he didn’t believe such a policy preventing excess ICBM motors from being used in a certain launch class could be successfully implemented.