( CNN ) The United States has gained much from its position as a space-faring nation . Indeed , U.S. access to space has provided incredible benefit to U.S. national security , defense and the economic well-being of the nation . And in order to effectively confront current and future conflicts , combat terrorism and counter the proliferating threats worldwide , our military depends on space-based capabilities , including intelligence , GPS , and communications satellites . Unfortunately , as global threats increase and the need for assured space access accelerates , the U.S. is faced with a troubling reality -- we are far too reliant on Russian technology to meet our national security obligations . How ? For a start , we depend on the Atlas V rocket , which carries many of our most important satellites and is powered by the Russian-made RD-180 rocket engine . The fact that we rely on Russia , currently under sanctions for invading a sovereign nation , should reinforce the need for a change in our current course . Assured access to space is an area where the U.S. should not be reliant on nonsecure foreign supply chains , which are subject to disruption , threats , unfavorable contracts and undue leverage against the interests of the U.S . The Ukraine crisis should have served as a wake-up call , highlighting the danger of dependence on Russia to launch national security satellites into space . And the United States should play no part in supporting the defense industry of a country that continues to abrogate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbors . Simply put , it is bad policy to rely on others for critical national security requirements , and worse policy when this reliance supports countries taking action in direct contradiction to U.S. national security interests . 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 . It is high time the U.S. government turn to its existing domestic capability and turn off this flow of funds . Fortunately , there are some signs of progress . 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 . 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 . This was a wise move , but it 's not enough . There are steps that the United States can take now to ensure our access to space and secure our comparative advantage in space -- and in the world . True , development of a new launch system will take time ; there are no overnight answers . However , a combination of existing capabilities and dynamic development of new capabilities by the private sector can serve as a foundation for eliminating any capability gap in the U.S. space program . Indeed , new entrants are coming online using launch vehicle systems fully designed and manufactured in America . 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 . Having both options will put America on the path to fielding its indigenous space capabilities for the next generation , while strengthening a space industrial base weakened since the end of the Cold War . 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 . In the long term , next-generation development programs should not involve major Russian subsystems and components . It is time to end America 's reliance on Russia 's rocket engine . This would be good for national security , good for American innovation and the industrial base -- and good for our country 's future .
Mike ##ly , authors writes : Access to space has compromised U.S. national security . U.S. should not be reliant on our foreign supply chains , authors write .