If the House Armed Services Committee has its way, the Transformational Communications Satellite program will continue, with no cut in 2008 funding—depending on which page of the committee’s summary you read. In its summary text the committee cites its strong support for TSAT and commends the Air Force’s initiatives to reduce program risk, saying it recommends $863.6 million for the program. The Air Force table at the back of the summary shows a recommendation of $936.6 million, the same as the President’s budget request. Some lawmakers may get it after all.
NASA, SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance are all preparing to launch their next-gen rockets from Florida’s Space Coast, two of them before the year is out. One is expected to liberate the U.S. launch enterprise from its reliance on Russian-made RD-180 engines, while all three rockets could eventually carry astronaut crews.