article_snippet.sent: For a start, we depend on the Atlas V rocket, which carries many of we most important satellites and is powered by the Russian-made RD-180 rocket engine.
article_snippet.sent: Dmitry Rogozin, a Russian Deputy Prime Minister in charge of defense and space industries, has called American taxpayer outlays for the Russian engine "free money" that goes directly back into Russia's missile modernization programs.
article_snippet.sent: Last year, Congress took bipartisan action to phase out reliance on the RD-180 engine by the end of the decade, and to transition to an all-American space launch capability.
article_snippet.sent: The defense authorization for fiscal year 2015 included restrictions on the future use of the RD-180 for the Atlas V, authorizing $220 million to begin development of a U.S. alternative.
article_snippet.sent: True, development of a new launch system will take time; there are no overnight answers.
article_snippet.sent: Indeed, new entrants are coming online using launch vehicle systems fully designed and manufactured in America.
article_snippet.sent: The two main launch competitors -- United Launch Alliance and SpaceX -- each have all-American systems, namely ULA's Delta IV family of rockets and SpaceX's Falcon 9.
article_snippet.sent: The short-term goal should be to transition to existing American-manufactured launch vehicles, as opposed to phasing out systems such as the Delta IV, which continue to provide critical capability.
article_snippet.sent: It is time to end America's reliance on Russia's rocket engine.