WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The National Intelligence chief said that Washington’s plan would be to "certify SpaceX for carrying our national security payloads into space."
"My interest is in seeing to it that our overhead reconnaissance constellation is replenished and replenished on time, and there is a capability with the Delta which you allude, is we think from our standpoint…both effective and cost efficient and I certainly do agree on [the] fundamental American tenant of competition, that's why I'm quite encouraged by the aggressive approach that SpaceX has taken," Clapper said when asked whether Washington needed to stop its dependency on Russian rocket engines.
The 2015 National Defense Authorization Act prevents the United Launch Alliance, which provides spacecraft launch services to the US government, from completing the acquisition of 18 engines ordered before the US imposed sanctions on Russia.
