• We support United Launch Alliance’s Delta and Atlas launch vehicles as they provide the quickest and safest approach to closing the gap following shuttle retirement.  Rockets can be ready to support test flights within three years, and with 32 successful launches to date, the Atlas and Delta systems promise to be among the most reliable launch systems in the world.
• The Space Shuttle will retire at the end of 2010 and for the first time in 50 years the United States can only buy its way into space on Russian rockets.
• Human access to space is critical for advancing our scientific knowledge and maintaining our security and advantage in space.
• We support the president's call for increased investment in heavy-lift launch vehicle technology, along with a deep space capsule.  However, we believe the United States should be on a clear path to accelerate the development and production of this critical system to close the gap between the retirement of the shuttle in 2010 and the development of the new heavy-lift platform in 2015.
• A bold vision for space exploration encourages the growth of new technologies and emerging businesses, large and small.
• A bold vision for our national space program also supports the United States' security and economy by fostering a domestic work force that is educated and skilled in science, technology, engineering and math.

Support the FY 2011 President’s Budget request of $1.1 billion in procurement and $30.2 million in RDT&E for EELV.

• The $1.154 billion in procurement funds will pay for the acquisition of three Air Force launches (two GPS missions and WGS-5) scheduled for FY13 under what is known as the EELV Launch Support (ELS) contract.
• The procurement funding also pays for infrastructure support to all FY 2011 launch activities under what is known as the EELV Launch Capabilities (ELC) contract.
• The procurement funding pays for Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) support, Systems Engineering and Technical Assistance, and System Program Office operations associated with program execution and mission assurance.
• It is in the national security interest of the United States to have domestic capability for assured access to space.  The EELV program provides such capability.

Support Colorado’s military and civilian space resources

• Support the FY 2011 President’s Budget request for funding for a military construction project on Buckley AFB to provide permanent office space for more than 500 personnel.
• Protect and grow Colorado military assets such as Buckley AFB, Peterson AFB, and Schriever AFB, which form a critical part of our national defense and space missions.
• Protect and grow Colorado military assets such as the Fort Carson U.S. Army installation.
• Support funding to maintain or expand the NNSA Line Item infrastructure improvement projects such as the Chemical and Metallurgical Research Replacement (CMRR) and TA-55 Reinvestment at Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the Uranium Processing Facility (UPF) at the Y-12 Nuclear Defense Complex.  Support the proposal to combine the Y-12 and Pantex M&O contracts for re-competition.
• Support funding for the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program (CTR), and especially the bio-threat reduction program.  This includes demilitarization and non-proliferation efforts for legacy systems and facilities in the former Soviet Union, to destroy excess capacity and systems, to provide better security at a reduced and consolidated number of locations, and to provide enhanced detection, response, and force protection for forces in theater, and for the indigenous populations.
• Continue support of funding for Global Positioning System Operation Control Segment (GPS OCX).
• Ensure the program is fully funded and on schedule.
• Raytheon Company, Aurora’s largest private employer, was recently awarded an $886 million contract by the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base to develop the ground control segment of the Global Positioning System to improve the accuracy of information from GPS satellites. Raytheon anticipates hiring 100 people this year with another 200 next year. Boeing will add 50 or 60 people locally.
• Support increased funding for Colorado federal laboratories such as NOAA and NCAR.