Doug Lamborn
U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.). Credit: Congressional Prayer Caucus Foundation video grab

WASHINGTON — U.S. Reps. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) are relaunching the House’s space power caucus, a bipartisan group hoping to teach members about the importance of space in national security, according to a Jan. 14 press release.

“Our national security is at risk in space, for a variety of reasons, and it is vital that Members of Congress understand the importance of space for our nation’s safety, security and prosperity,” Lamborn said in a press release. “The United States must maintain our asymmetric advantage in space and that won’t happen without Congressional support and oversight.”

The space power caucus did not exist in the previous Congress, but was active for several years in the 2000s and hosted public events.

Lamborn, who serves on the House Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee, and Schiff, the ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, will co-chair the caucus, the release said.

“Space-based platforms are instrumental in alerting us to a variety of conventional and unconventional threats, allowing us to monitor hotspots around the world and to provide crucial intelligence on missile launches and nuclear detonations,” Schiff said.

Mike Gruss covers military space issues, including the U.S. Air Force and Missile Defense Agency, for SpaceNews. He is a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.