May 1, 2020
Defense Primer: National Security Space Launch
Introduction
community over increasing cost and decreasing confidence
The National Security Space Launch (NSSL) is a U.S.
in the continued reliability of national access to space. The
government program that enables acquisition of launch
purpose of EELV was to provide the United States
services, aimed at ensuring continued access to space for
affordable, reliable, and assured access to space with two
critical national security missions. The U.S. Air Force
families of space launch vehicles. Initially only two
oversaw NSSL’s predecessor program, the Evolved
companies competed: Boeing produced the Delta IV launch
Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV), and awarded four
vehicle, and Lockheed Martin developed the Atlas V.
companies contracts to design a cost-effective launch
Overall, the program provided critical space lift capability
vehicle system. The Department of Defense (DOD)
to support DOD and intelligence community satellites,
acquisition strategy was to select one company to ensure
together known as NSS missions.
national security space (NSS) launches were affordable and
reliable. The EELV effort was prompted by significant
The EELV program evolved modestly in response to
increases in launch costs, procurement concerns, and the
changing circumstances, and the Air Force approved an
lack of competition among U.S. companies. Today, the
EELV acquisition strategy in November 2011, revising it in
NSSL program’s main priority is mission success. A
2013. That strategy was designed to (1) sustain two major
RAND study released April 2020 identified a magnitude of
independent rocket-powered launch vehicle families to
risk associated with assured access to space. As Congress
reduce the chance of launch interruptions and to ensure
continues its oversight of NSSL, it may consider examining
reliable access to space; (2) license and stockpile the
DOD’s plan on the prioritization of the launch-related risks
Russian-made RD-180 heavy-lift rocket engine, a critical
to ensure continued access to space and 100% mission
component of the Atlas V; (3) pursue a block-buy
success.
commitment to a number of launches through the end of the
decade to reduce launch costs; and (4) increase competition
A major concern in Congress and elsewhere over U.S.
to reduce overall launch costs. The Air Force and others
reliance on a Russian rocket engine (RD-180), used on one
viewed the overall EELV acquisition strategy as having
of the primary national security rockets for critical national
successfully reduced launch costs while demonstrating
security space launches, was exacerbated by the Russian
highly reliable access to space for DOD and the intelligence
backlash over the 2014 U.S. sanctions against its actions in
community.
Ukraine. Moreover, significant overall NSSL program cost
increases and unresolved questions over individual launch
NSSL Program Today
costs, along with legal challenges to the Air Force contract
The United States Space Force, the sixth branch of the
awards by space launch companies, prompted legislative
Armed Forces, established on December 20, 2019, is now
action. In the John S. McCain National Defense
responsible for the military space launch mission. The
Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2019, Congress
NSSL program is managed by the Launch Enterprise
directed the program to find non-Russian engines. It also
Systems Directorate of SMC, Los Angeles Air Force Base.
renamed the EELV to the NSSL program to reflect a wider
The NSSL program consists of four launch vehicles: Atlas
mission that would consider both reusable and expendable
V and Delta IV Heavy (both provided by United Launch
launch vehicles.
Alliance [ULA] of Denver, CO) and Falcon 9 and Falcon
Heavy (both provided by Space Exploration Technologies
The Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC), together
Corporation [SpaceX] of Hawthorne, CA).
with the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), released a
request for proposals in May 2019 to award two domestic
NSS launches support the Space Force, Navy, and NRO.
launch service contracts. DOD plans to select two separate
More specifically, the Atlas V has launched commercial,
space launch companies for phase two of the NSSL
civil, and NSS satellites into orbit, including commercial
program in the summer of 2020. The two companies
and military communications satellites, lunar and other
selected will be responsible for launching U.S. military and
planetary orbiters and probes, earth observation and
intelligence satellites through 2027. NSS launch has been a
military research satellites, weather satellites, missile
leading legislative priority in the defense bills over the past
warning and NRO reconnaissance satellites, a tracking and
few years, and with the increasing number of commercial
data relay satellite, and the X-37B space plane (a military
launch providers and more competition, it will likely
orbital test vehicle). The Delta IV has launched commercial
continue to be a legislative priority.
and military communications and weather satellites and
missile warning and NRO satellites.
Background
The origins of the NSSL program date back to 1995, after
DOD expects to achieve cost saving through acquisitions
years of concerns within the Air Force and space launch
and operability improvements through use of common
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Defense Primer: National Security Space Launch
components and infrastructure, standard payload interfaces,
Implications for Congress
standardized launch pads, and reductions in on-pad
Although widespread support for the NSS requirement to
processing. To improve acquisitions, the program offers
promote robust competition and assured access to space
block buys of launch vehicles and competition between
exists across Congress and national space community
certified providers. The competitions are conducted through
stakeholders, challenges to achieving these goals remain.
two contract vehicles: Launch Service Agreements (LSA)
The recurring challenge since the start of the NSSL
and Launch Service Procurement (LSP) awards:
program has been how best to pursue this requirement
while driving down costs through competition and ensuring
Launch Service Agreement (LSA) awards are a set of
launch reliability and performance. The Space Force
three Air Force Research, Development, Test, and
decision to select no more than two launch providers and
Evaluation awards intended to facilitate the
award two separate Launch Service Procurement (LSP)
development of three domestic launch system
prototypes. DOD awarded LSA’s
contracts in the summer of 2020 is not without potential
to ULA, Northrop
implications and could have second- and third-order effects
Grumman, and Blue Origin in October 2018.
on operational capabilities.
Launch Service Procurement (LSP) is an ongoing
procurement competition that is currently in Phase 2.
Congress may consider whether the strategy’s cost-benefit
The second phase is a five-year procurement of
analysis warrants further research. Should no more than two
approximately 34 launches starting in 2022.
launch providers be chosen for LSP contracts in Phase 2,
the companies not selected would lose the LSA funds
United Launch Alliance, Northrop Grumman, SpaceX, and
received from the Air Force and could potentially be faced
Blue Origin have all submitted bids for phase two, with
with (1) the choice of abandoning NSSL development to
each company proposing its rocket design: Vulcan,
focus on competing in the commercial launch sector, or (2)
OmegA, Falcon, and New Glenn, respectively. The two
investing vast company reserves to continue development
companies selected will share the NSSL notional manifest
on its own. Furthermore, DOD investment in only two
for the next five years. Phase 1 and Phase 1A awards were
launch providers could mean fewer options for an
given to ULA and SpaceX. DOD has identified 18 active
increasingly diverse range of NSS mission demands and
contracts for the NSSL program, with obligations awarded
possibly limit competition in the launch market once again.
to six companies (see Figure 1).
Congress may consider
Figure 1. Selected NSSL Contract Obligations, by
directing the Space Force to provide a report on the
Company, 2012-2019
cost-benefit analysis of selecting more than two launch
providers;
drafting language in the NDAA for FY2021 to authorize
additional funds that allow the Space Force to diversify
its launch provider options by continuing to provide
development funds through LSA awards to launch
companies not selected for LSP contracts in Phase 2;
and/or
directing the Space Force to provide a report on the cost
saving and associated risk of using reusable launch
vehicles for future solicitations.
Lastly, efforts to transition away from the RD-180 to a
domestic U.S. alternative engine or launch vehicle are not
without technical, program, or schedule risks. Even with a
smooth, on-schedule transition away from the RD-180 to an
alternative engine or launch vehicle, the performance and
reliability record achieved with the RD-180 to date would
likely not be replicated until well beyond 2030; the RD-180
has approximately 81 consecutive successful civil,
commercial, and NSS launches since 2000.
Source: CRS analysis of the Federal Procurement Data System.
CRS Products
Notes: Totals as of July 2019, in mil ions of dol ars. Northrop
CRS Report R46211, National Security Space Launch, by
Grumman has acquired Orbital-ATK, previously known as Al iant
Stephen M. McCall
Techsystems.
ULA and SpaceX are currently the only space launch
providers certified to launch NSS payloads into orbit.
Stephen M. McCall, Analyst in Military Space, Missile
Defense, and Defense Innovation
IF11531
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Defense Primer: National Security Space Launch
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