The House passed its version of the National Defense Authorization Act late Wednesday night, which included 10 provisions from the American Space Renaissance Act, Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-Okla.), the sponsor of the space bill, said Thursday in Washington, D.C. The wide-ranging space legislation takes a holistic view of the space enterprise, concentrating on three lines of effort: to build more resilient architectures, to integrate the enterprise, and to leverage commercial capabilities, Bridenstine said. Provisions from the bill incorporated into the NDAA include fully funding the Joint Interagency Combined Space Operations Center, funding the Space and Missile Systems Center SATCOM Pathfinder program, funding the Protected Tactical Service SATCOM program, requiring a briefing on the costs and benefits of using commercial facilities and operations for the Air Force Satellite Control Network, and authorizing $3 million to buy and evaluate commercial weather data. Bridenstine said he is particularly concerned with weather forecasting and data because of the prevalence of severe weather in his home state. Bridenstine’s goal in proposing the legislation was not to pass a comprehensive bill immediately, he said, but rather “to put together the best components of space reform that are needed across the enterprise.” The bill has “proven to be an effective tool,” he said. “We are accomplishing objectives that are important for national security space.” Still, he said, there are many important provisions that have not yet passed.
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.