Mobile Courant

U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) questioned key defense officials regarding the Space Force's budget for refueling in space and the integration of commercial space capabilities during a Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces hearing.

Senator Tuberville raised concerns about a $20 million allocation in the FY2025 budget for a study on space refueling. He asked, "How far are we behind China in refueling? This $20 million was only for a study. Can you explain that? I mean, $20 million for a study rather than $20 million more for learning how to refuel and why we need to refuel and how far behind we are?"

Vice Chief of Space Operations Michael Guetlein responded, "Right now, we are doing the exploration of refueling in space to understand what does it actually contribute to the flight? Because there is a balance between building refueling capability into a satellite, which is semi-expensive, and buying proliferated lower cost constellations. So, we're going to need a combination of both."

Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration Frank Cavelli added that part of the funding also supports ground-side demonstrations: "Some of that money is going to study to see where the bigger picture is. And some of that money is going to actually design work and demonstration work."

Tuberville also questioned whether commercial capabilities were being leveraged effectively. Guetlein affirmed this, noting that partnerships with allies and industrial partners are crucial: "We are currently designing in how to take maximum advantage of those capabilities and innovation that's coming out of commercial, to build out what we call 'hybrid architectures,' which are a combination of DOD, civil, allied, and commercial platforms altogether."

The discussion highlighted the rapid growth in the satellite sector. Tuberville observed that numerous companies from Huntsville were entering the satellite business. Cavelli acknowledged this trend: "The space economy is starting to boom, and we're seeing amazing entrepreneurship from across the United States with companies coming in."

Senator Tuberville concluded by noting the influx of investment into new space ventures: "Seems like they got a lot of money they want to invest, which is fine with us, right?" Cavelli agreed: "Absolutely."

Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and serves on several committees including Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, and HELP.