WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today sent letters to the Universities Space Research Association, Commercial Spaceflight Federation, Coalition for Deep Space Exploration, and Aerospace Industries Association requesting an update on how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the aerospace sector, including efforts in support of U.S. government civil space missions.

“As the United States confronts challenges resulting from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative to maintain the nation’s civil and commercial space capabilities,” Wicker wrote. “The recently-enacted Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act provided economic relief to certain distressed industries, including entities within the U.S. aerospace sector. The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation requests your assistance as it conducts appropriate oversight of the viability of the aerospace industry and research enterprise during this pandemic and the implementation of the CARES Act.”

Click here to read the letters.