Washington Quietly Lifts Sanctions on Russian Rockets
Popular Science in its article " Congress Moves to Lift Ban on Using Russian Rocket Engines " claims: After Russia invaded Crimea, Congress swore off Russian rocket engines. But its ban on using these rockets to launch military payloads into space was perhaps a bit too hasty. A new bill approved by Congress has found a way to nullify the ban. United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin that has long been the primary contractor for launching Defense Department payloads into space, relies on the Russian-made RD-180