U.S. losing dominance in space

The Washington Post (7/9, A1, Kaufman), in a front-page story, reports on the declining dominance of the U.S. in space due to the increasing number of countries who now have access, both through government agencies and commercial ventures. "While the United States has been making incremental progress in space, its global rivals have been taking the giant steps that once defined NASA." The U.S. is "largely out of [the] business" of launching foreign satellites, and many countries are developing or have the capability for manned spaceflight and sending spacecraft to other planets. As other nations increase spending in their programs, "the combination of the 2003 Columbia disaster, the upcoming five-year 'gap' when NASA will have no American spacecraft... and the widely held belief that NASA lacks the funding to accomplish its goals, have together made the U.S. effort appear less than robust." According to the article, the U.S. still "dominates" in the areas of space business and military space, but the U.S.' "complex...restrictions" under International Traffic in Arms Regulations laws and the Iran Nonproliferation Act are pushing countries to buy foreign satellites and launch services.