The International Space Station is expected to be operational for another decade, but without more government support, the privately-owned outpost will not be ready in time to replace it, said NASA Administrator Jim Brydenstein.
Bridenstein told SpaceFlight he now worries that the commercial space station may not be ready until the International Space Station reaches the end of its life.
While NASA is focusing more resources on the return of astronauts to the moon, and eventually conducting human missions to Mars, the space agency still wants to send experiments and crews into Earth orbit to test technologies for deep space exploration and other research. .
The government wants to rent or operate a space station on its own, instead of owning and operating a space station.
“Under no circumstances should we have a gap in low Earth orbit,” Brydenstein said in an interview. “We have been asking Congress to fund the development of commercial habitat in low-Earth orbit for the past several years. And every year… Congress does not fund it.
“If we continue on this path where we don’t fund the replacement of the space station, we will end up at a distance, which I think is very bad for the country,” Bridensta said. “Like after Apollo ended, we had an eight-year gap before the space shuttle. After the shuttle ended, we had a gap of nine years before the merchant crew. ”
With SpaceX on the verge of launching operational commercial crew flights on the International Space Station, low-Earth orbital transport services for people and cargo are now operated by the private sector. Boeing’s Starliner Crew Capsule, which could be operational next year after a delay, will be the second vehicle for commercial crew transport in low-Earth orbit.
Congress has committed NASA to continue operating the International Space Station until at least 2024. Legislators have proposed a second increase by 2020 or 2030, and Bridenston said he is confident Congress will soon pass a bill to increase NASA’s support for the ISS program. 2020.
Dmitry Rogozin, director general of the Russian Space Agency, said last month that Russia was “ready to consider” any proposal to extend the lifespan of the International Space Station.
But Congress is not as keen on funding NASA to advance the development of new commercial habitats in low-Earth orbit. It raises concerns that the continued presence of humans in orbit – which began 20 years ago last month with the unveiling of the first International Space Station crew – could end when the ISS dismantles.
NASA expects the privately-owned outpost to operate at a cost of less than a billion to a billion dollars less than a billion dollars a year spent by the space agency ISS.
“We need to make sure we’re investing today in the future for commercial habitation because NASA wants to be a customer, not an owner-operator, but a low-Earth orbit,” Bridensta said. “And I think if we start now there is a chance to avoid the distance, but the longer we walk, the more likely we are to go the distance.”
The Trump administration requested 150 150 million for NASA’s low-Earth orbit commercialization initiative in fiscal year 2020, but Congress approved only 15 15 million for the program.
Due to lack of funds, NASA requested the company to build a commercial “free-flyer” space station.
“Before we can make a request, we need to make sure we’ve got funding for a selection, so we’re working on that now,” Bridensta said.
“The big thing I’m worried about is that the ISS is coming to the end of its useful life, and we don’t have a replacement,” Bridensta said. “And I’ll tell you why it’s a problem. That’s a problem because China is building its own space station, and they will attract partners from around the world, and I think the United States should be led by America. “
NASA has made further progress with efforts to add a privately owned module to the International Space Station. Earlier this year, NASA selected Houston’s xxium space to connect the commercial module with the ISS.
Axiom eventually plans to build a commercial space station using its ISS module as the center of a new orbital research complex. Xxiom’s module will be dismantled before the demolition of the International Space Station, ending with a guided and devastating re-entry into the Pacific Ocean.
NASA’s 140 140 million contract with AS Xiom covers only a fraction of the cost of the company’s planned space station. And NASA is paying Axium to demonstrate its capabilities. Funding for creating the modules will actually come from other sources.
“Overall, the cost of building our entire space station is between to 2 billion and $ 5 billion, and we have a total contract with the government … આધારે 1 million in five to seven years, depending on the extension,” said Mike Suffredini, CEO of Axiom. , In an interview with Spaceflight Now in September.
“All of the development money comes from either income or investment, and we’re very proud of that,” Suffredini said. “We are right on the investment schedule. It’s a crucial part of progress and we like where we are. “
Xxiom is also working with NASA to pay ISS to private astronauts.
Nanorex, another Houston-based company, is also interested in developing a commercial outpost for people and a host of experiments. Nanorex plans to launch a small commercial airlock on the International Space Station later this year.
Beagle Aerospace, founded by real estate entrepreneur Robert Beagle, has been pursuing plans to build a privately owned space station using inflatable housing for more than 20 years. But Bigelow left his entire workforce in March, according to Space News.
According to a report by Space News, Bigelow said in January 2020 that NASA “needs to provide significant government subsidies for the period until industries get back on their feet.”
Biglow Aerospace no longer answers questions from Spacelight.
“There are all sorts of commercial companies out there that want to do amazing things in space, as long as the taxpayer funds it,” Bridensta told Spaceflight Now. “I think we have some really strong publicity for capacity development.” -There should be a private partnership, and there must be an fur. See, we want to be a participant in development, of course, but in the long run, we want to be a customer, a period. ”
The commercially owned and operated spacecraft is expected to become economically viable by 2025 when the Trump administration proposes to end government support for the ISS, according to a 2017 market analysis by the Federally funded Research Center for Science and Technology Policy. Why.
Analysis shows that the annual operating operating costs for a commercial space station can range from 3 3,463 million to 2. 25.225 billion. The report suggests a variety of activities that could generate revenue on a private space station in low Earth orbit, including human habitation or destination, satellite servicing, space production, basic research, technical demonstrations, earth observation, advertising, and education.
Boeing, NASA’s main contractor in charge of the International Space Station, is supporting Axiom and Nanorex in the development of new commercial space dwellings. So far, Boeing has not announced any plans to build its own space station.
“It’s really important for companies for Boeing and others to make sure you can close the business case in the long run,” said John Mulholland, Boeing’s ISS program manager.
“We continue to evaluate it, and certainly, we are looking at a number of areas where we can add value and contribute, either from a key or supporting role,” Mulholland told reporters in October. “But it all depends on the needs of the customer and the business cases around him. In the near future: Our focus today is on supporting these two companies (Axiom and Nanorex) and others.
“We are looking for opportunities where we can provide more to our customer,” Mulholand said. “We’re looking at a number of ways we’re not ready to discuss today.”
“We are the main coordinators of all the sciences that pass through the space station,” Mulholland said. “So all the payload integration is done by this team.
“At Axiom, we are involved in the early stages of design,” Mulholand said. “We are currently working with Axiom on the evaluation of the initial design work, and help pave the way for it to move forward in the final design.”
Muholland said Boeing’s engineers have performed a structural analysis that shows the International Space Station could be operating safely for at least another decade.
From all the analysis done technically, we can support 2030 and beyond, Mulholland said. “We are finalizing that analysis, so we are looking beyond the policy perspective, for policymakers to recall it in law, which we hope to have in the coming year, and we are very supportive of that. Technically, that analysis is complete. “
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