NASA administrator Mike Griffin has long spoken favorably of the agency’s plans to support development of commercial resupply services for the ISS, and according to an article in this week’s Aviation Week his support shows no sign of flagging:

To help make that happen, Griffin has taken a personal interest in keeping a $500-million funding wedge in NASA’s five-year budget. Under the COTS program the money is intended to help space companies demonstrate the technology that could take supplies to the ISS–and return scientific specimens and unneeded gear to Earth–after the shuttle is retired in 2010. The agency has already received responses to a COTS RFP, and Griffin says some demonstration contracts could be awarded as early as this spring, which would be sooner than originally expected.

Griffin told the senators on NASA’s authorizing subcommittee that he “holds close” the COTS program, and asked for their support to make it work. He says if the demonstrations go well NASA could have contracts in place for commercial ISS resupply within 5-7 years.