Canceling NASA’s return to the moon program will likely raise the cost of launching satellites into space, Air Force officials told a congressional committee on Wednesday.

“Launch costs are still rising,” said Gary Payton, Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for Space Programs. Payton supports the Secretary of the Air Force with his responsibilities as the Service Acquisition Executive for Space Programs.

“Factors contributing to rising launch costs are the depletion of inventory purchased in prior years, reduced number of annual buys increasing unit costs, and a deteriorating subcontractor business base without commercial customers,” Payton told the Senate Subcommittee on Strategic Forces.

President Barack Obama proposes to cancel NASA’s Constellation Program, a program designed to continue launching Americans into low Earth orbit and later to the Moon and other destinations after the Space Shuttle is retired from service. In place of Constellation, the president’s request focuses on supporting the development of commercial capabilities to deliver crews to the International Space Station and develop advanced technologies, among other proposed activities.

“The decision to replace NASA’s Constellation program with a new, more technology-focused approach to space exploration, will likely reduce the customer base for solid rocket motors and potentially increase demand for liquid engines and strengthen the liquid-fuel rocket industrial base,” Payton said. “We have initiated several efforts to examine the severity of these business base issues and identify potential mitigation steps.”

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