Space Launch Vehicle Export Policy and The Struggle between National Security Policy & Foreign Policy.

摘要

In the spring of 1992 several U S commercial aerospace contractors informed the U S Department of State (DOS) that Italy, Spain, and Australia were independently initiating small space launch vehicle (SLV) programs Furthermore, that these countries wanted the assistance of U S aerospace contractors to build these SLVs Thus, the contractors desired U S government approval to assist these countries build then unrelated indigenous SLV programs Over the period from April to December 1992 U S contractors followed up their inquiries by filing 14 specific export license requests with the DOS, Defense Trade Center (DTC) These export license requests were for the sale of hardware, technology, and services, to support the SLV programs in these countries U S contractors submitted these license requests with the knowledge that existing U S national security and foreign policy prohibited U S firms from supporting the development of foreign SLV programs In accordance with standard procedures, the DTC referred these SLV export requests to a formal interagency working group established to approve or deny all rocket related exports from the United States.