1. What statement best describes your interest in space? Please mark (or highlite with red font) all that apply to you
a. Supplier of space launch services or hardware/software
b. Supplier of ground processing or support services or hardware
c. Supplier of space based assets or services
d. Buyer/user of space services (e.g., biotech, material science, earth science)
e. Financier (Angel, VC, investment banking, etc.)
f. Media/entertainment representative
g. Other
2. Do you know about the NASA COTS program? (Commercial Orbital Transportation Services)
a. No or not much (if no skip to #7)
b. Have heard about it
c. Some knowledge
d. Very familiar
3. Did you or your organization apply for a NASA COTS award?
a. Yes
b. No
4. Do you think NASA should offer other COTS type programs?
a. Yes
b. No
c. Don’t know
5. Do you have any ideas for future NASA COTS type programs? If yes please briefly describe.
Yes. Please visit www.interorbital.com and www.translunar.org for details on Interorbital Systems’ (IOS’) proposed orbital and lunar activity plans. Interorbital Systems, in partnership with Trans Lunar Research, has had a private sector COTS-type program in work since 1996; note similarities of Trans Lunar Research’s lunar program (first published in 1996) to present day COTS. Current status: Phase I— construction of SEA STAR microsat launcher— the subscale demonstrator for IOS’ six-person orbital launcher, NEPTUNE (Phase II).SEA STAR launch schedule: 2008; NEPTUNE launch schedule: 2009.Currently undergoing AST launch licensing process for the SEA STAR.
6. Do you think the NASA COTS program could be improved? If so how?
Yes—by spreading the funding in equal amounts to a wider field of legitimate hardware manufacturers, and seeing who produces a viable orbital launch vehicle— our estimate is that, at most, only two orbital vehicles will emerge. The cash payouts should be in the form of actual progress payments toward the creation of a launchable orbital rocket. These awards could be in milestone prizes, e.g., first flight; orbital launch attempt; successful orbital payload delivery, etc.. Funding agencies could show their support of REAL progress, not simply continue with the current system of rewarding companies that produce paperwork only—in particular, one of NASA’s current COTS winners—a company that has spent over a billion dollars and has never launched a rocket! From the point of view of a very small company making very real progress toward NASA’s stated goals, the whole selection process still bears a very obvious ‘old boys’ network’ connections taint. This sort of blatant favoritism is rampant and disgusting to those of us producing legitimate flight hardware. Give rewards to those companies REALLY producing rockets—not just churning out paper proposals! We hope that real rocket projects will be chosen for support, and that the proposal mills will be seen for what they are: leeches who’ve found a well carved-out niche in a very obliging system. That current system of rewarding paper studies instead of supporting actual real-world rocket R&D promotes the exceedingly negative public image of bureaucratic bloat and of obvious politically motivated gift giving for which NASA and the DOD have so long been criticized. Now is the time for the agency to take a clean, new stand, and to reward substantive scientific progress and merit!
7. What do you see as the biggest barrier/obstacle to commercial space?
Current outdated ITAR restrictions’ impact on those companies wishing to offer space services globally. ITAR should be modified to exclude space tourism operations from inclusion in draconian ‘defense article’ mobility restrictions.
8. What do you think is the most important thing that NASA could do to support and promote commercial space?
Set aside a pool of prize money for physically reaching the flight milestones required to create a manned orbital launch vehicle—-and stop funding paper studies!
9 Any other comments or suggestions regarding commercial space?
Note to government funding organizations: Set up progress prizes, purchase launch futures from verified emerging launch operators, and stop the embarrassing and unethical practice of throwing R&D money away on companies populated by cronies.
10. Name and contact information for follow-up (optional):
Name: Randa Milliron, CEO
Organization: Interorbital Systems