NASA has finalized its strategy for maintaining a human presence in space, focusing on the transition from the International Space Station to new commercial platforms by 2030.
This week, NASA officially finalized its strategy for sustaining a human presence in space, emphasizing the importance of maintaining the capability for extended stays in orbit following the planned de-orbiting of the International Space Station (ISS) in 2030.
The document detailing NASA’s Low Earth Orbit Microgravity Strategy outlines the agency’s vision for the next generation of continuous human presence in orbit. It aims to foster economic growth and uphold international partnerships in the space sector.
As the agency looks ahead, concerns have arisen regarding the readiness of new space stations to take over once the ISS is retired. The potential for budget cuts under the incoming administration has further fueled these worries. NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy noted, “Just like everybody has to make hard decisions when the budget is tight, we’ve made some choices over the last year to cut back programs or cancel them altogether to ensure that we’re focused on our highest priorities.”
Among the companies working on new space stations is Voyager, which has expressed support for NASA’s commitment to maintaining a human presence in space. Jeffrey Manber, Voyager’s president of international and space stations, emphasized the importance of this commitment for attracting investment, stating, “We need that commitment because we have our investors saying, ‘Is the United States committed?’”
The initiative to establish a permanent human presence in space dates back to President Reagan, who highlighted the need for private partnerships in his 1984 State of the Union address. He remarked, “America has always been greatest when we dared to be great. We can reach for greatness,” while also noting the potential for the space transportation market to exceed the nation’s capacity to develop it.
The ISS has been a cornerstone of human spaceflight since its first module was launched in 1998, hosting over 28 astronauts from 23 countries and maintaining continuous human occupation for 24 years. The Trump administration’s national space policy, released in 2020, called for a “continuous human presence in Earth orbit” and emphasized the transition to commercial platforms, a policy that the Biden administration has continued.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson addressed the potential challenges of transitioning from the ISS, stating, “Let’s say we didn’t have commercial stations that are ready to go. Technically, we could keep the space station going, but the idea was to fly it through 2030 and de-orbit it in 2031.”
Recent discussions have raised questions about the definition of “continuous human presence.” Melroy acknowledged the ongoing conversations about what this entails, stating, “I just want to talk about the elephant in the room for a moment, continuous human presence. What does that mean? Is it continuous heartbeat or continuous capability?”
NASA’s finalized strategy has taken into account the concerns of commercial and international partners regarding the implications of losing the ISS without a commercial station ready to take its place. Melroy stated, “Almost all of our industry partners agreed. Continuous presence is continuous heartbeat. And so that’s where we stand.” She emphasized that the U.S. currently leads in human spaceflight and that the only other space station in orbit after the ISS de-orbits will be the Chinese space station, underscoring the importance of maintaining U.S. leadership in this domain.
Three companies, including Voyager, are collaborating with NASA to develop commercial space stations. Axiom signed an agreement with NASA in 2020, while contracts were awarded to Nanoracks, now part of Voyager Space, and Blue Origin in 2021.
Melroy acknowledged the challenges posed by budget caps resulting from negotiations between the White House and Congress for fiscal years 2024 and 2025, which have limited investment. However, she remains optimistic, stating, “I think we’re still able to make it happen before the end of 2030, though, to get a commercial space station up and running so that we have a continuous heartbeat of American astronauts on orbit.”
Voyager has assured stakeholders that it is on track with its development timeline, planning to launch its starship space station in 2028. Manber stated, “We’re not asking for more money. We’re going ahead. We’re ready to replace the International Space Station.” He highlighted the importance of maintaining a permanent presence in space, noting that losing it would disrupt the supply chain that supports the burgeoning space economy.
Additional funding has been allocated to the three companies since the initial space station contracts, and a second round of funding could be crucial for advancing certain projects. NASA may also consider new proposals for space stations, including concepts from Vast Space, a company based in Long Beach, California, which recently unveiled plans for its Haven modules and aims to launch Haven-1 as early as next year.
Melroy emphasized the importance of competition in the development of commercial space stations, stating, “This is a development project. It’s challenging. It was hard to build the space station. We’re asking our commercial partners to step up and do this themselves with some help from us. We think it’s really important that we carry as many options going forward to see which one really pans out when we actually get there.”
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