A selection of space policy/politics related links:

• What’s Happening in Space Policy for the Week of May 26-30, 2014
• Defense launch:
  • Support Grows For New U.S. Rocket Engine: Delta IV could be next SpaceX target as ULA struggles to maintain its Atlas V – Aviation Week“The Atlas V—always the less expensive of ULA’s fleet (partly owing to the Russian engine sourcing), the most competitive in the commercial market, and the nearest peer to Space Exploration Technologies’ (SpaceX) new Falcon family—is effectively over, an industry source says. This longtime player in the space industry preferred talking on background. The convergence of a Russian threat to cut off RD-180 supply, SpaceX’s impending certification to compete with the Falcon 9v1.1 and the lawsuit filed by SpaceX April 28 claiming ULA’s sole-source deal with the U.S. Air Force was anticompetitive has put so much pressure on the Atlas V that it is unlikely to survive, the source says.” [My emphasis]
  • Aerospace Battle: ULS, Boeing lawsuit continues  – Valley Morning Star 

    “According to SpaceX’s challenge, the Air Force, instead of paying on a per launch basis, pays ULA a $1 billion annual “launch capability” subsidy covering 100 percent of ULA’s fixed costs and business overhead even if ULA never even performs a launch.Furthermore, the Air Force also pays ULA a “launch services” fee covering launch vehicle hardware.Adding to the confusion, the Air Force does not order launch vehicles for specific missions. Rather, it procures vehicles without any specific mission definitively assigned and only later assigns each vehicle to a mission, and it never publicly discloses which vehicle gets assigned to which mission,  SpaceX’s lawsuit states.This structure all but guarantees that no one — not even the Air Force — can say precisely how much ULA charges the American taxpayer for each EELV launch.” [My emphasis]

  • Space: It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time – Strategy Page
  • U.S. lawmakers approve legislation aimed at curbing reliance on Russian space, defense technology, notably the RD-180 engine used to power the Atlas 5 rocket. – Ares/Aviation Week

[ Update:

• Are U.S. Sanctions Isolating NASA Instead of Russia? – Popular Mechanics
• Volunteers’ Capitol Hill visit delivers NASA support – Florida Today
• Why Elon Musk Is in Hot Water With the Head of Air Force Space Command – Motley Fool
• Italy’s New Space Chief Seeks To Close the Chapter on Corruption – SpaceNews.com
• SpaceFlight Insider Opinion: Why a Mars flyby mission? – SpaceFlight Insider
• Library: A Round-up of Reading – Res Communis

]

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Webcast:

* Video TMRO (Spacevidcast) 7.15 : The Situation – Jeff Foust discusses “the situation between the US, Russia, ULA and SpaceX. What happened, why does it matter and what does all of this mean for the future of space launch vehicles?”