![]() If two years seems like a long time to decommission the ISS from operations, one must consider what the process will entail. In collaboration with its commercial partners, NASA’s objective is to move its focus from merely having commercial orbital laboratories like the current space station, and into the realm of creating a lasting presence on the lunar surface, which will provide pivotal data and experience as NASA plans for its eventual manned missions to Mars.īased on the wording of the November 30 audit report, NASA plans to have its commercial space station operational by as soon as 2028, allowing a two-year transitional period during which the ISS will be decommissioned. In addition to sending the first person of color and female astronauts to the Moon, the Artemis missions are aimed at establishing both the Artemis Base Camp, a lunar surface station, as well as an orbital Gateway which “will allow our robots and astronauts to explore more and conduct more science than ever before,” according to the mission’s website. ![]() “As long as humans intend to travel in space, NASA expects research and testing will be needed in the microgravity environment of low Earth orbit,” the report states. “NASA’s plans for long-term deep space human exploration missions depend on continuous access to a research laboratory in low Earth orbit,” the report stated.Īs NASA lays the groundwork for its future space operations to be aided by commercial partners, the November 30 report emphasized that future Moon missions, as well as manned missions to Mars, will rely on having an orbital research station capable of facilitating a testing environment within a microgravity environment.Īs detailed in the recent report, “the Artemis mission, aimed at returning humans to the Moon and ultimately landing astronauts on Mars, is not feasible without continued human health research and technology demonstrations being conducted on the ISS and its eventual replacement.” Artist’s concept of a future lunar station under the Artemis Mission (Image: NASA) The audit report also underscored the importance of having an orbital research facility, especially in terms of NASA’s future space endeavors. “Anticipating its retirement,” the audit report states, “NASA has committed to replacing the ISS with one or more commercially owned and operated space destinations.” The announcement follows a sum of $17 million that was recently authorized by Congress to help fund this transition, although NASA said the required budget for the job would be closer to $150 million. In a report dated November 30, the space agency’s auditing body stated that although operations onboard the ISS are scheduled to end in 2024, they will “likely” be extended until 2030, after which future space operations there will be passed on to private groups. The International Space Station (ISS) is to be replaced with at least one commercial successor, according to a recent announcement by NASA’s Office of Audits. NASA Announces Retirement Plans for the International Space Station ![]() With all that out of the way, it’s time to take a look at what NASA projects for the future of the International Space Station, as well as its commercial successors in the years to come. As always, we will feature a complete listing of all our recent stories at the end of this week’s Intelligence Brief. Meanwhile, in video news, Cristina Gomez provides a weekly recap of several of our latest news stories over on our YouTube Channel, and for more from Cristina, also check out her very own Paradigm Shifts YouTube channel. ![]() Welcome to this week’s installment of The Intelligence Brief… following the release of a NASA Office of Audits report on the space agency’s management of the Internationa Space Station and its future replacement by a commercial successor, we’ll be looking at 1) the retirement plans NASA has outlined for the ISS, 2) how future space stations will be used to help propel NASA astronauts to the Moon, and even to Mars, and 3) the technical and financial challenges NASA faces over the next decade in advance of deorbiting the ISS.īefore we get into our analysis this week, a few stories The Debrief has been covering in recent days include how NASA’s new planetary defense mission, DART, was recently launched aboard a SpaceX Rocket, as well as an assessment of how much oxygen is currently on the Moon, and why several European Air Forces are conducting tests with electric-powered aircraft.
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