State Pushes to Launch Foreign-Made Missiles
The Wall Street Journal -- March 12, 1997 By JACQUELINE BUENO
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Spaceport Florida is angling for its rocket-launching facility at Cape Canaveral to become the nation's first to blast foreign-made missiles into space, a move that could revive activity at the Cape and mark a new direction for U.S. policy on rocket launches.
The state agency is at the center of a proposal to allow launches of Israeli rockets from the U.S. To date, U.S. policy has prevented foreign-made rockets from being launched in the U.S., and the proposal requires consent from the White House. It also faces opposition from U.S. aerospace companies and concerns about national security.
But the proposal has the support of Florida's congressional delegation, among other officials. If it is approved, the number of launches annually at the Cape could more than double, according to one estimate, reversing years of decline. Edward Ellegood, director of operations for the Spaceport Florida Authority, which runs the facility, says foreign-rocket launches are needed "if Cape Canaveral is to remain competitive."
Mostly Military
Spaceport Florida was created by the state in 1989 to capitalize on a growing demand for commercial satellite launches. The facility is leased by the state from the U.S. Navy. Cape Canaveral is mainly used by the military to launch intelligence and communications payloads.
If the Cape is allowed to handle foreign rockets, overall business could increase significantly. Israel Aircraft Industries Ltd., owned by the Israeli government, estimates that commercial demand for its successful Shavit II rocket could result in about 30 launches a year -- five more than the entire number of launches from the Cape in 1996.
So far, Spaceport Florida hasn't had any major launches, mainly because it has been converting a pad previously used by the military for commercial and government flights. The first launch from the pad -- of a rocket made by Lockheed Martin Corp. -- is scheduled for September.
One reason there hasn't been more activity at the Cape, Mr. Ellegood says, is that several years ago the U.S. began allowing U.S.-built satellites to be launched by foreign vehicles from overseas facilities. That resulted in a migration of some domestic launch business to foreign locales where U.S. companies can take advantage of less-expensive, foreign-made rockets. "About 60 satellites [a year] that could potentially be launched from here are being launched from somewhere else," Mr. Ellegood says.
Whether the White House will give its nod to the idea of launching foreign rockets at the Cape isn't yet known. A spokesman for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy says only that the proposal is still under consideration.
Meanwhile, some U.S. rocket manufacturers oppose the idea, saying they could lose U.S. business, which they currently dominate, to foreign rocket makers that can offer lower prices because of subsidies they receive from their governments.
At the same time, some arms-control advocates complain that allowing foreign rockets to be imported into the country would go against a U.S. commitment to discourage proliferation of missiles capable of carrying weapons. In addition, some officials worry about allowing representatives of foreign companies and governments to visit military facilities such as Cape Canaveral.
The campaign for the U.S. to allow foreign-rocket launches began in earnest about five months ago. That's when Israel Aircraft approached the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, which manages launch operations in the U.S., about the possibility of orbiting commercial payloads from the agency's Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Va.
Israel Aircract currently is bidding for its first U.S. customer, an unidentified company that would launch up to four rockets in the next two years. Launching the payload from Israel isn't financially viable, given the launch trajectory required to take into account the country's proximity to unfriendly neighbors.
Several weeks ago, after learning of Israel Aircraft's intent, several Florida congressmen, led by Rep. Dave Weldon, contacted Israel Aircraft about the possibility of launching from Spaceport Florida instead of Wallops. A month ago, he and most other members of Florida's congressional delegation sent a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu encouraging the Israeli's to consider the Florida center.
Interested in Florida
"Weldon's office came to us and said, 'Why aren't you looking at Spaceport Florida?' " says Marvin Klemow, vice president of government and public affairs for Israel Aircraft in Arlington, Va. "And we thought, 'Why aren't we looking at Spaceport Florida?' " He adds that about two weeks ago, company and Spaceport officials spoke, and that now the company is "very, very interested" in launching from the Florida facility.
A staffer for Mr. Weldon says Israeli news reports rank Spaceport as the nation's No. 1 choice, but Mr. Klemow says such a decision can't be made until after the U.S. government lets Israel Aircraft executives tour the site. He does say the Cape has some advantages over the Wallops center. For one thing, he says, lifting off from Florida would probably cost less because the site is closer to the equator. Proximity to the equator lessens the amount of fuel needed for launch.
Copyright © 1997 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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