Roundtable On Space Launch Initiative

ProSpace, in conjunction with the Space Transportation Association and
Space Frontier Foundation, will hold the second in our series of Space
Transportation Roundtables on Tuesday, May 2, 2000. The program will be
held in Room 628 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building and is currently
scheduled from 8:30am – 12:00 noon.

The subject will be the Space Launch Initiative program, NASA’s proposed
five-year plan to move toward buying safe, low-cost space transportation
services from the private sector. As proposed by NASA, the program will
invest in technology development and demonstration, business and program
planning, design and advanced development, and pathfinding launch service
procurement efforts.

This new program has engendered a great deal of interest and discussion.
To this point, Capitol Hill has heard separately from the Office of
Management and Budget, NASA and several of the companies that would
participate in the various phases of the Space Launch Initiative. The
purpose of the Roundtable is to bring those parties together at one table
to discuss the program in front of an audience of Hill staff and other
interested observers. In this way, we hope to educate them on the finer
points of the initiative, along with the benefits and challenges it
presents.

Senator Conrad Burns will serve as Sponsoring Chairman of the event and is
scheduled to open the meeting with his remarks. Officials from both
NASA and OMB will be participating, as will executives from many of the
space transportation companies. The sponsoring organizations will be
joined by the National Space Society at the table as well.

Further information is available by email at prospace@prospace.org

Sincerely,

Marc Schlather

Executive Director

Space Transportation Roundtable