Details on the central thrust of the review, being conducted by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) in partnership with the President's National Security Council, was released in the Commerce Business Daily Tuesday editions. The CBD announcement was made to seek U.S. industry and other public inputs to the review.

"Clear and appropriate roles and responsibilities of the government and the private sector, including management and operation of the U.S. space launch bases are critical to the ability of the four U.S. space sectors- military, intelligence, civil, and commercial to access space," the announcement said.

The review, according to the CBD announcement, will assess the implications of the continuing increase in commercial launches and develop appropriate policy recommendations on the future management and use of the launch bases and related ranges.

This review, set for completion by mid-July, "will assess civil, commercial, and national security roles and responsibilities for operations, maintenance, improvement, and modernization at U.S. space launch bases and ranges, particularly at Vandenberg Air Force Base California and Cape Canaveral Air Station Florida," the CBD said.

The details said that the review would

• Develop a national strategy for management and use of the U.S. space launch bases:
• Describe the current division of roles and responsibilities for management of the facilities;
• Describe a desired future "vision" for the management of the launch bases "and identify intermediate steps leading to that desired end state;
• Define how management roles and funding responsibilities for operation and maintenance and improvement and modernization of the bases should be divided among the sectors.

Other topics to be covered by the review include base ownership, supporting infrastructure, space launch operations facilities and systems, range facilities and systems, and safety responsibilities and operations.

Among the study's assumptions are that the Air Force "will continue to own launch base real estate for the forseeable future", and U.S. government payloads would continue to be launched by U.S. space launch providers only.

The OSTP is seeking comment and input to the study via Jefferson Hofgard at 202-456-6043, or at Space Policy Group Executive Office of the President, Office of Science and Technology Policy. All responses are needed by June 7th.