DENVER—Colorado senators and congressmen welcomed President Barack Obama’s decision to save a version of the Orion space capsule being developed in Colorado.
“The president’s announcement is terrific news for Colorado, for all the workers on Orion,” said Democratic Sen. Mark Udall.
Udall spoke to reporters by phone along with Sen. Michael Bennet and Rep. Ed Perlmutter, both Democrats, and Rep. Mike Coffman, a Republican.
Orion was conceived as the crew module for the Constellation mission to return humans to the moon. The capsule is being developed by Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Jefferson County outside Denver.
Obama canceled Constellation this year. The administration said it would use old technology to visit places astronauts had already been.
Colorado’s congressional delegation and Gov. Bill Ritter lobbied the administration to save Orion. Udall said canceling the project would directly lead to the loss of 1,000 Colorado jobs. Estimates are that another 3,000 related jobs would also be lost.
On Thursday, the president set a goal of having a new spacecraft by 2025 that could reach beyond the moon. He said Orion would be retooled as an emergency escape vehicle from the International Space Station.
“This Orion effort will be part of the technological foundation for advanced spacecraft to be used in future deep space missions,” he said.
It’s not clear whether retooling Orion would lead to any job losses at Lockheed-Martin in Colorado. Udall said he hoped many of those positions would be saved.
Coffman said he is disappointed that Obama didn’t restore the entire Constellation mission, which he said was important to the nation.
“My reason, really, for supporting it was far beyond the jobs in Colorado,” he said. “I certainly hope the president can take a look at the total program and not just the Orion project.”
