Mike Rogers: US Should Leverage Commercial Innovation to Build Resilient Space Architecture

Mike Rogers, former congressman and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, has said the White House’s proposal to establish a new “space force” as the sixth military branch comes at a time when “conflict in space is already occurring.”

Rogers wrote in a Defense News article published Friday that the U.S. needs to leverage innovation in the commercial space sector and create a portfolio of launch capabilities and options in order to establish a space architecture that is resilient to threats posed by adversaries.

“It’s a fairly simple equation — innovation plus options equals resiliency,” he said.

He also cited issues with the way the U.S. Air Force and the National Reconnaissance Office purchase satellites and other space platforms in support of national security missions.

Rogers said Congress has initiated steps to increase the adoption of commercial space innovation and measures to advance the reusability of launch systems such a provision in the proposed National Defense Authorization Act to rename the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle initiative as the National Security Space Launch Program.

“Reusability promises to further reduce launch costs since all or a portion of a rocket is recovered and reused,” he added.