Stephen Kitay, deputy assistant secretary of defense for space policy, said the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Space Acquisition Council is assessing initial results of a survey about the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the space industrial base, SpaceNews reported Wednesday.
“We are seeing reports of schedule impacts, strain on supply chains and adjustment to future business plans,” Kitay, a member of the council, said Wednesday at an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics-hosted podcast.
He said DoD has initiated efforts to support space industry suppliers during the crisis, such as waiving cost penalties for program delays.
“Sustaining the space industrial base is a national security concern,” Kitay said. “We continue to make contract awards, and in some cases have accelerated those awards."
