The House Armed Services Committee voted to double the number of Russian-made rocket engines the U.S. Air Force can use for space launches from nine to 18, in a move certain to rankle lawmakers who have pushed to end America’s dependence on Moscow for the technology.
The amendment from Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., passed by voice vote around 2 a.m. on Thursday, despite objections from lawmakers that doing so in the 15th hour of the defense policy bill mark up was not an appropriate time to have a serious debate on relations with Russia.
Coffman’s push for 18 RD-180 rocket engines meets the Air Force’s request for how many it needs to increase competition, drive down costs and maintain access to space.
The Air Force relies on United Launch Alliance, which is a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin, and SpaceX for its national security satellite launches. While SpaceX has its own launch platform, ULA still relies on the Russian-made engines.
Officials and lawmakers have both expressed a desire to stop using the Russian rockets as soon as possible.
Authorization for 18 rocket engines will be included in the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2017 that will get a vote on the House floor, but it’s unclear if it will survive negotiations with the Senate, where Arizona Republican John McCain has been a staunch critic of using Russian engines at all.
