The International Space Station (ISS) is an iconic attainment of international cooperation in space research, but will not last forever. The station was launched more than 20 years ago and now aging, and NASA and other space institutions began to think about what happened next. This week, NASA released a report on what was expected from the last decade of the life of the ISS.
The plan is to end the operation on the ISS and destroy it in Deorbit which is controlled in 2031. It will be a sad end for the extraordinary achievement that has seen a sustainable human presence in space since 2000. But there are still many of the ISS to do in the year Last year.
Will continue to be focused on scientific research on ISS, especially in topics that benefit all humans such as medical and environmental research. “The International Space Station enters the third and most productive decade as an innovative scientific platform in micro,” said Robyn Gentens, director of the International Space Station at NASA headquarters.
The third decade is one of the results, building our global partnerships that are successful to verify human exploration and research technology to support deep extraterrestrial exploration, continue to restore medical and environmental benefits for humanity, and laid the foundation for commercial future in commercial orbits. “Gentens said.” We hope to maximize this return from the space station up to 2030 while planning a transition to commercial space destination that will follow. “
It will also be focused on preparation for what happens after ISS is urged, which will involve commercial companies. NASA recently chose three companies – blue origin, nanoracks, and Northrop Grumman – to develop a plan for the commercial space station. The idea is that one or more companies will build and operate commercial space stations, and NASA and other space institutions will pay astronauts to continue to use and conduct research.
In addition, other companies will help build ISS in the next decade. The axiom room will develop a commercial module to be added to the ISS as part of the transition to a more commercial-oriented approach to space operation.
The hope is to outsourcing parts of orbital operations to private companies, NASA will be able to save money. This approach is similar to the steps of carrying astronauts to the ISS using space shuttle, which was developed by NASA and flew up to 2012, to Wacex’s Crew Dragon, which has the first operational flight in 2021. Other companies, Boeing, also worked at a crew capsule called Starliner, but this has suffered serious problems and delays.
Apart from these problems, NASA believes that it can reduce costs for the long term by working with private companies, now technology to work in orbit becomes more advanced. “The private sector is technically and financially able to develop and operate low-state low orbit goals, with NASA assistance,” said Phil Mcalister, Director of Commercial Space at NASA Headquarters (through NASA).
“We hope to share our learning experiences and operations with the private sector to help them develop a safe, reliable, and cost-effective destination in space,” McAlister said. “The report that we have submitted to Congress explained, in detail, our comprehensive plan to ensure a smooth transition to commercial purposes after retiring from the International Space Station in 2030.”