Representative’s legislation writes lofty goals

Alicia Robinson

Private companies hoping to develop commercial spacecraft could

compete for a prize of up to $100 million under legislation Rep. Dana

Rohrabacher announced Tuesday.

The congressman introduced a bill Oct. 8 that would create a

national endowment for space and aeronautics. The endowment would use

governmental and private funds to award prizes for aerospace

technology, including a prize of up to $100 million for a reusable,

manned spacecraft that can travel to an altitude of at least 400

kilometers and orbit the Earth at least three times.

Before a fundraising dinner Tuesday at the Pacific Club in Newport

Beach, Rohrabacher touted the bill with aerospace engineer Burt Rutan

and Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Corona) at his side. Rutan designed

SpaceShipOne, a spacecraft that won the $10 million Ansari X-Prize

earlier this month by successfully reaching an altitude of 100

kilometers twice within two weeks.

“Today, Mr. Rutan exemplifies that can-do spirit and that

initiative in creative endeavors that will make sure that America

moves forward as it should rather than being stuck in bureaucratic

quagmires,” Rohrabacher said.

Rohrabacher is chairman of the House Space and Aeronautics

Subcommittee and a member of the research subcommittee, which

oversees science policy issues.

Earlier this month, he offered a resolution honoring Mojave

Aerospace Ventures, the collaboration of Rutan and Microsoft

co-founder Paul Allen that created SpaceShipOne. In late September,

Virgin Group magnate Richard Branson signed a deal with Mojave to

develop its technology through a space tourism company.

Private enterprise will be able to advance space technology in a

way that the federal government has been unable to, Rohrabacher said.

The government has spent hundreds of millions of dollars trying to do

what Rutan did for $26 million, he said.

“The private sector should play a much greater role, and Burt

Rutan’s success will lead the way in terms of private-sector

investment,” Rohrabacher said.

Rutan said his company plans to fly 3,000 people to space in the

first five years after developing commercial suborbital spacecraft.

“Kids will know they can go to orbit in their lifetimes, and it

won’t just be a dream and a hope,” he said. “That will happen within

15 years.”

Other legislation Rohrabacher wrote has temporarily stalled. After

congressional disagreements over what kind of safety standards to put

on private-sector space development, the congressman decided to

resume discussions in the new year on a bill regulating the emerging

space-tourism industry. Congress will take up the space endowment

bill in the next session also.

Such delays aside, one Rohrabacher supporter at Tuesday’s event

said he expects development of commercial space travel to happen

quickly.

“It’s a whole new frontier that we haven’t seen yet,” said Daniel

Scinto of North Tustin. “I think it’s going to be huge.”

* ALICIA ROBINSON covers business, politics and the environment.

She may be reached at (714) 966-4626 or by e-mail at

alicia.robinson@latimes.com.