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There are constant, creaky reminders that the International Space Station is showing its age.
Leakedhissy-fit pressure in the Russian segment, attitude control was lost on two separate occasions in 2021. To remain safe and secure for human occupants, the massive structure requires constant maintenance, a flow of replacement parts, and upgrades on many of the stations. systems.
Construction of the International Space Station (ISS) began in November 1998. After a flurry of assembly flights, it was lifted off in July 2011. Now tipping the scales at over 900,000 pounds (408,233 kg), the ISS surpasses football distance. Famine. It is the single largest human structure in space. But in addition to being humongous and getting on in age, it is expensive to run.
NASA transfer
In 2021, NASA’s Office of Inspector General reported that of the $3 billion NASA spends on the ISS each year, $1.1 billion of that total covers annual ISS operations and maintenance costs.
Also in 2021, NASA announced three Low Earth Orbit Destinations or funding CLD agreements. They are intended to support work on commercial space stations, outposts that NASA can “transition” from the ISS by the end of the decade.
“Transferring low earth orbit operations to the private sector will have long-term efficiencies, allowing NASA to shift resources toward other objectives,” the space agency explains.
And the winners are…
Those three CLD deals went to Blue Origin and Sierra Space Partnership (Orbital Reef); a joint venture between Voyager Space, Airbus, Mitsubishi Corporation, and MDA Space (Starlab); and Northrop Grumman.
Last year, the number of CLD suppliers was reduced to two when Northrop withdrew from their agreement, opting to join the Voyager Space bid.
In addition to this funding, NASA awarded Axiom Space a contract to develop a space station. Unlike the other CLD providers, Axiom’s plan calls for its station to be sent to the ISS first and separated from each other, operating independently.
International competition
In light of this background, Congress held a hearing in February of this year entitled “ISS and Beyond: The Present and Future of American Low-Earth Orbit Activities.”
Attorney Brian Babin, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, emphasized that America already faces international competition in low Earth orbit (LEO).
“When ISS was built, it was the only facility of its kind. Today, the Chinese Communist Party operates a space station that hosted Taikonauts in LEO from 2021, Babin emphasized in an open statement. In addition, China has also sought international partnerships to conduct research activities on its station, he said.
“If another station is not operational by the time ISS retires, the China station may be the only manned station available to scientists for LEO research,” Babin noted.
A new chapter
“We are finally entering a new chapter in our space exploration, that of private space stations in different orbits, with different purposes,” said Jeffrey Manber, President, International and Space Stations for Voyager Space.
Starlab Space LLC is a global joint venture group between Voyager Space, Airbus, Mitsubishi Corporation, and MDA Space. It is a joint venture “without assembly” that will be floored in orbit by three SpaceX starships.
Manber told Space.com that the motivating factor for Starlab is the end of the International Space Station (ISS), which is scheduled to deorbit in 2030.
“The ISS has already been in orbit for over twenty years, well beyond its expected lifetime,” Manber said. “As great an orbital station as it was, it’s well beyond its lifespan and like an old house, and in increasing need of repairs.”
NASA and the U.S. Congress contributed to that start of private space stations, Manber said, creating a path to ensure a robust and cost-effective space program in low-Earth orbit.
Customers wanted
To that end, NASA became a customer and two companies – Northrup Grumman and SpaceX – were selected to carry cargo. NASA did the same for the crew and the space agency is now a customer of SpaceX and Boeing’s Starliner to transport NASA astronauts.
“And now we are starting the third chapter,” said Manber, “NASA and other space agencies will be customers for space stations.”
Voyager Space and its Starlab facility received the most NASA funding of any team, $217 million.
“But of course we need more, not just to build Starlab, but to sustain operations,” Manber said.
“We need customers, and our business model is designed to ensure that space agencies around the world are comfortable sending their astronauts to Starlab for research, training for longer missions or for manufacturing,” a Manber said.
The stakes are huge
The goal of the initiative was to create a truly international space station, this time commercial, Manber said. Starlab is not just an American enterprise. He is part European, part Japanese and part Canadian, he said.
“At Voyager Space, and at Starlab, we are ready for the short-selection of NASA for two teams that we believe will go forward,” said Manber. “The stakes are huge.”
There is a bipartisan awareness, Manber continued, that there can be no space station gap, not with China’s highly capable Tiangong already in orbit with advanced research and an international customer list.”
Manber said he knows there is doubt that space stations can be made sustainable. But he also recalls that there were those who were suspicious of commercial cargo and later than commercial cargo. And those who fought to keep NASA’s space shuttle operating.
“I have no doubt that Starlab’s business model ensures a sustainable path forward,” Manber said, “and one that could herald a new era of international commercial partnerships with teams from a dozen spacefaring nations.”
Challenges ahead
NASA faces several challenges with its budget, according to Scott Pace, director of George Washington University’s Space Policy Institute. He was deputy assistant to the President and Executive Secretary of the White House National Space Council from 2017-2020.
NASA faces a major budgetary challenge as it tries to fund the use of the ISS, develop private platforms, de-orbit the ISS, as well as raise dollars for the space agency’s “restart” on the moon through its Artemis plans , Pace said.
“Congress has said it prioritizes Artemis exploration missions. ISS partners support the use of ISS. NASA Administrator Nelson has requested emergency supplemental funding for a United States deorbit vehicle,” Pace said.
“The developers of the commercial platform will probably need more funding than has been appropriated so far,” Pace said, “so the question is how these competing demands will be managed.”
Safety surveillance
The US has said it intends to operate the ISS until 2030, with Europe, Japan and Canada in agreement, Pace said. Meanwhile, Russia has said it would only be committed until 2028 and intends to deploy a separate Russian station, he said.
“However, these are plans, and it is not so clear that the aging ISS will be able to operate safely through 2030. All partners are practicing constant surveillance of safety,” Pace said.
The United States is supporting, with milestone payment contracts, private platforms that tend to develop a crew in a similar way to commercial crew development, Pace said.
“However, the government’s requirements are not as clear as they were for the commercial team and the freight programs, and the current payments – as a percentage of the total development costs – appear to be much less than in the case of the commercial teams,” Pace said.
What is the killer-app?
The key to “commercial” space stations is the market, said Marcia Smith, editor of the informative website SpacePolicyOnline.com.
“After 53 years of space stations, it’s still not clear what the deal is,” Smith said. “The long wait continues for a ‘killer app’ that demonstrates the value of research in microgravity.”
The Russians and SpaceX have shown that there is a market for orbital tourism, but how profitable it is – if not the costs and prices – is a mystery,” Smith said.
The eye of the traitor
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“It’s pretty clear that, for the foreseeable future, commercial space stations, like commercial cargo and commercial crew, are going to rely on the government not only to help pay for initial investments, but long-term services,” Smith said. . “It doesn’t matter if that’s ‘commercial’ or not.”
As for the US government, it is clear that it does not want to give up its foot in low Earth orbit, Smith said, and leave China as the only country with a space station.
“It’s tempting to say that the Congress and the Administration – whoever is the President – won’t say that there will be a space station gap. But then again there was a gap between Apollo and the space shuttle, and between a shuttle and a commercial crew, so no it can be said for sure,” said Smith.