Business

Is Houston lawyer Arthur Dula a dreamy eccentric, or a cosmic entrepreneur? For nearly three years he has toiled with little success to find U.S. customers for the Soviet Union's space program. Undaunted, Dula scored a coup in June when the Soviet space agency named him its exclusive American business partner. The attorney now hawks everything from advertising space on Soviet rockets to tours of launching pads.

Dula's nemesis has been the U.S. Government, which refuses to let American firms launch satellites on Soviet rockets. Washington insists that such a practice would violate laws against the transfer of advanced technology. But Dula is pressing the Administration for a license to place a U.S. communications satellite aboard a Soviet Proton rocket. His perseverance is understandable. The Soviets would probably charge more than $50 million for a launch; Dula's company, Space Commerce, would pocket half the profit.