The June 28 failure of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is playing into debates on Capitol Hill and elsewhere over how best to ensure that the U.S. Defense Department can reliably launch its satellites as needed as it transitions to a new era of competition in that activity. The main sticking point concerns the continued use by United Launch Alliance, which until recently enjoyed a monopoly in the national security launch market, of Russian-made engines on its workhorse Atlas 5 rocket. Congress last year banned future military use of the Russian-built RD-180, but there is disagreement over precisely how many more the company should be allowed to buy for future competitions against SpaceX.
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