In a sign that NASA leadership is increasingly confident in the eventual success of the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, NASA Administrator Mike Griffin has sent a letter to Congress stating that the space agency will not need to rely on Russian Progress cargo spacecraft to resupply the International Space Station after 2011.
The COTS program is a critical building block in American space exploration policy. Through the program, NASA is provided hundreds of millions of dollars to SpaceX and Orbital Sciences Corporation as seed money to help them develop low-cost, reliable orbital spacecraft that can undertake routine missions. The regular resupply of the ISS is the most obvious and immediate mission for these new spacecraft, but they will also have enormous potential for other missions. By turning over routine orbital missions to private industry, NASA will increase its ability to focus on the more far-reaching goals of returning to the Moon and sending an expedition to Mars.
The Committee for the Advocacy of Space Exploration believes strongly that American space exploration must be a fruitful partnership between the government and private industry. The COTS program is a wonderful example of such a partnership and should continue to be supported by Congress.
