NASA’s Updated Plans For The International Space Station
Low Earth orbit is an incredible environment that offers very unique and specific advantages when compared to Earth. For decades now the International Space Station has been circling the planet and providing different countries consistent access to this space. This being said, nothing can last forever and this especially is the case for such an expensive upkeep.
However, despite the high cost and some of the aging features of the station, NASA recently gave an update on the plans for the ISS. This included an extension to 2030 and more details on the future of accessing space. More specifically, NASA has now provided an updated International Space Station Transition Report that details the goals for the next decade of station operations leading to a transition to commercial services.
These steps give us an idea of what to expect in the coming years and why the International Space Station is so important. Not to mention the future plans and how it will transition into a commercial opportunity for multiple different companies. Here I will go more in-depth into the updated plans of the station, what to expect over the next decade, and more.
Recent ISS Update
The International Space Station is a unique laboratory that is returning enormous scientific, educational, and technological developments to benefit people on Earth and is enabling our ability to travel into deep space. Earlier this year there was a commitment to extend space station operations until 2030 to enable the United States to continue to reap these benefits for the next decade while U.S. industry develops commercial destinations and markets for a thriving space economy. As NASA looks forward to a decade of results from research and technology development aboard the International Space Station, the agency is taking steps to ensure a successful transition of operations to commercial services. In response to Congressional direction, NASA has now provided an updated International Space Station Transition Report that details the goals for the next decade of station operations leading to a smooth transition to commercial services, the steps being taken to develop both the supply and demand side of the low-Earth orbit commercial economy, and the technical steps and budget required for transition.
“The International Space Station is entering its third and most productive decade as a groundbreaking scientific platform in microgravity,” said Robyn Gatens, director of the International Space Station at NASA Headquarters. “This third decade is one of results, building on our successful global partnership to verify exploration and human research technologies to support deep space exploration, continue to return medical and environmental benefits to humanity, and lay the groundwork for a commercial future in low-Earth orbit. We look forward to maximizing these returns from the space station through 2030 while planning for transition to commercial space destinations that will follow.”
A big part of this extension has to do with providing more time for commercial partners such as Axiom Space to continue building and developing future options. Just a few days ago on the 27th Thales Alenia Space tweeted saying, “What a beauty! @Axiom_Space ’s commercial space station, for which we will provide 2 pressurized modules, is already taking shape inside @Thales_Alenia_S ’ production area of #Turin. Our company is definitely pioneering the future of orbital infrastructures!” The next day Axiom space replied with a tweet mentioning, “Progress being made! We continue to move towards building the world’s first commercial space station, Axiom Station. Thanks to @Thales_Alenia_S for helping us turn our vision into a reality. We look forward to the modules’ arrival in Houston for assembly before launch.”
Today, with U.S. commercial crew and cargo transportation systems online, the station is busier than ever. The ISS National Laboratory, responsible for utilizing 50 percent of NASA’s resources aboard the space station, hosts hundreds of experiments from other government agencies, academia, and commercial users to return benefits to people and industry on the ground. Meanwhile, NASA’s research and development activities aboard are advancing the technologies and procedures that will be necessary to send the first humans to Mars.
The extension of operations to 2030 will continue to return these benefits to the United States and to humanity as a whole while preparing for a successful transition of capabilities to one or more commercially-owned and -operated LEO destinations (CLDs). NASA has entered into a contract for commercial modules to be attached to a space station docking port and awarded space act agreements for the design of three free-flying commercial space stations. U.S. industry is developing these commercial destinations to begin operations in the late 2020s for both government and private-sector customers, concurrent with space station operations, to ensure these new capabilities can meet the needs of the United States and its partners. “The private sector is technically and financially capable of developing and operating commercial low-Earth orbit destinations, with NASA’s assistance. We look forward to sharing our lessons learned and operations experience with the private sector to help them develop safe, reliable, and cost-effective destinations in space,” said Phil McAlister, director of commercial space at NASA Headquarters. “The report we have delivered to Congress describes, in detail, our comprehensive plan for ensuring a smooth transition to commercial destinations after retirement of the International Space Station in 2030.”
It is NASA’s goal to be one of many customers of these commercial destination providers, purchasing only the goods and services the agency needs. Commercial destinations, along with commercial crew and cargo transportation, will provide the backbone of the low-Earth orbit economy after the International Space Station retires. The decision to extend operations and NASA’s recent awards to develop commercial space stations together ensure uninterrupted, continuous human presence and capabilities; both are critical facets of NASA’s International Space Station transition plan.
Future Station
Looking at future station options, it’s clear that NASA is working with many different companies to try and ensure consistent access to space. This being said, some companies have much more aggressive schedules than others and are already making a lot of progress. An example could be Axiom Space which has the ambitious goal of launching the first module to the ISS around two years from now. In addition to the tweets that I highlighted earlier, the company has been very busy. Just a few months ago Axiom Space and the City of Houston celebrated the groundbreaking at the company’s new, long-term headquarters at Ellington Airport, the site of the Houston Spaceport. There, Axiom Space will construct a campus containing employee offices, astronaut training, and mission control facilities, engineering development and testing labs, and a high bay production facility to house Axiom’s space station modules under construction.
“From this Axiom Space headquarters campus, we will continue the progress in space that will revolutionize life back home,” Axiom Space President & CEO Michael Suffredini said. “We are proud to be an anchor tenant of the Houston Spaceport and ensure the future of human spaceflight and the space economy is centered in the city where it all began.” Houston’s leadership in the Apollo, Space Shuttle, and ISS programs earned its title as Space City, the home of human spaceflight. Now Axiom Space is adding a new accolade to Space City, for the first time in the city’s history, it will be home to the development and construction of human-rated spacecraft thanks to Axiom Stations modules, which will be outfitted and assembled at Axiom’s facility at the Spaceport. “These are historically exciting times for us all. As the city that helped put men on the moon, Houston continues to lead the way in technology and innovation,” said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. “Axiom Space has set itself apart from others in the private space industry. Our city – Space City – couldn’t be prouder for our own Houston Spaceport to serve as home base for such momentous commercial and academic advancement.”
Following the completion of preliminary and critical design reviews in collaboration with NASA earlier this fall, Axiom’s partners at Thales Alenia Space began welding and machining activities for the primary structures of Axiom Station’s first module. The first pieces of fabricated flight hardware are beginning to come together. In early 2023, the assembled module will join the company in Houston where they will complete the final assembly and integration to prepare for a late 2024 launch of the first section of the next-generation platform for breakthrough innovation in low-Earth orbit.
Conclusion
For decades now the International Space Station has been orbiting Earth. In this time it has provided a host of invaluable information and opportunity to many countries around the world. We will have to wait and see how it progresses and the impact it has on the space industry.