After a six-month suspension was imposed on the US Ex-Im (Export Import) Bank, it was reauthorised by President Barak Obama on 4 December after the US Congress allowed the measure to go through. National export credit agencies, such as Ex-Im Bank, have been criticised for financially guaranteeing deals to allow export orders to be won, skewing the market. However, the US Senate and House of Representatives finally came round to the position that not to allow the Ex-Im Bank to renew its operations would be detrimental to US interests. The move is good news for US spacecraft manufacturers, given that firms involved in satellite construction and launching are often major beneficiaries of such funding.
