PANEL ON THE FUTURE OF NATIONAL SECURITY SPACE LAUNCH.

SEC. 912. PANEL ON THE FUTURE OF NATIONAL SECURITY SPACE LAUNCH.(a) In General.—(1) The Secretary of Defense shall enter into a contract with a federally funded research and development center to establish a panel on the future national security space launch requirements of the United States, including means of meeting those requirements.118 STAT. 2027(2) The Secretary shall enter into the contract not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.(b) Membership and Administration of Panel.—(1) The panel shall consist of individuals selected by the federally funded research and development center from among private citizens of the United States with knowledge and expertise in one or more of the following areas:(A) Space launch operations.(B) Space launch technologies.(C) Satellite and satellite payloads.(D) State and national launch complexes.(E) Space launch economics.(2) The federally funded research and development center shall establish appropriate procedures for the administration of the panel, including designation of the chairman of the panel from among its members.(3) All panel members shall hold security clearances appropriate for the work of the panel.(4) The panel shall convene its first meeting not later than 30 days after the date on which all members of the panel have been selected. (c) Duties.—(1) The panel shall conduct a review and assessment of the future national security space launch requirements of the United States, including the means of meeting those requirements.(2) The review and assessment shall take into account the following matters:(A) Launch economics.(B) Operational concepts and architectures.(C) Launch technologies, including—(i) reusable launch vehicles;(ii) expendable launch vehicles;(iii) low cost options; and(iv) revolutionary approaches.(D) Payloads, including the implications of payloads for launch requirements.(E) Launch infrastructure.(F) Launch industrial base.(G) Relationships among military, civilian, and commercial launch requirements.(3) The review and assessment shall address national security space launch requirements over each of the 5-year, 10-year, and 15-year periods beginning with 2005.(d) Information From Federal and State Agencies.—(1) The panel may secure directly from the Department of Defense, from any other department or agency of the Federal Government, and any State government any information that the panel considers necessary to carry out its duties. (2) The Secretary of Defense shall designate at least one senior civilian employee of the Department of Defense and at least one general or flag officer of an Armed Force to serve as liaison between the Department, the Armed Forces, and the panel.(e) Report.—Not later than one year after the date of the first meeting of the panel under subsection (b)(4), the panel shall submit to the Secretary of Defense, the congressional defense committees, the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate, and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House 118 STAT. 2028 of Representatives a report on the results of the review and assessment under subsection (c). The report shall include—(1) the findings and conclusions of the panel on the future national security space launch requirements of the United States, including means of meeting such requirements; (2) the assessment of panel, and any recommendations of the panel, on—(A) launch operational concepts and architectures;(B) launch technologies;(C) launch enabling technologies; and(D) priorities for funding; and(3) the assessment of the panel as to the best means of meeting the future national security space launch requirements of the United States.(f) Termination.—The panel shall terminate 16 months after the date of the first meeting of the panel under subsection (b)(4).(g) Funding.—Amounts authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Defense shall be available to the Secretary of Defense for purposes of the contract required by subsection (a).