Time is running out to keep the ISS in orbit, as the chair of a NASA advisory committee warned last week that risk margin for regular operations “is now reduced to an alarming level.”
And the worry extends to parts, too: the supply chain for the decades-old spacesuits is wearing thin, according to Susan Helms, a former astronaut who chairs the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel.
“It is increasingly difficult for NASA to ensure the ISS risks remain manageable for day-to-day operations, with enough contingency margins,” Helms said during a June 22 meeting of the panel.
Golden oldie: The ISS is a tremendous research asset. It has hosted astronauts continuously for 25+ years, while proving out many private experiments and space-tech parts.
But some of those parts are getting old. Astronauts will spacewalk Tuesday to repair Canadarm2 to allow the spice (food and supplies) to continue flowing through cargo shipments.
“Systems like Canadarm2 were designed from the beginning with replaceable components and were planned with maintenance in mind,” Bill Spetch, NASA ISS program operations integration manager, said during a Thursday spacewalk briefing.
As for the decades-old spacesuits? “We have four great suits on board right now,” Spetch said, adding a fifth is coming this fall.
In the air tonight: Meanwhile, the ISS has been battling leaks for years. Early this month, astronauts sheltered in a SpaceX Dragon while Roscosmos considered—then abandoned—making a repair. All is under control now, Spetch added.
There might be industry replacements for ISS coming, but work on NASA’s Commercial LEO Destinations program is also under pressure.
- NASA delayed Phase 2 awards last year.
- In March, the agency proposed a government-owned module upon which commercial companies would attach rooms, citing a lack of market demand for independent stations.
- Companies pushed back, citing plenty of business. NASA then announced on June 1 it would stick to the original plan, including a draft RFP this month.
- The GAO also said this month that there’s a risk of having a gap in ISS research as the agreement expires in 2030. Without action, the US may cede LEO work to China.
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As an organization that’s employed thousands of engineers in its 24-year history, SpaceX has acted as both a breeding ground for high-level talent, and as a launch pad for new ideas.
Insights from Crustdata, gathered from publicly available sources and shared with Payload, reveal the true extent of SpaceX’s stamp on the wider market.
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