Alan Stern, chairman of the board of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, has said CSF supports development work and potential use of NASA’s Space Launch System for commercial spaceflight missions, Space News reported Wednesday.
Jeff Foust writes Stern made the remarks in a speech Tuesday at the 20th Annual Commercial Space Transportation Conference in Washington.
“There are a lot of interests in CSF that see new markets and interest in exploration capability that SLS can provide,†Stern said in an interview following his speech.
He said CSF’s support for NASA’s launch vehicle was discussed during the Monday meeting of the industry group’s board.
The commercial group’s endorsement of SLS comes as some member companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin plan to introduce their own heavy-lift rockets, according to the report.