NASA confirms International Space Station is to keep orbiting through 2030
- Reference: 1641413233
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2022/01/05/iss_2030/
- Source link:
The announcement, through a NASA blog and US Vice President Kamala Harris [2]on Twitter , commits to extend ISS operations through 2030, though it did not mention what, if any, additional funds would be made available to keep the ageing laboratory aloft.
NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) continues to suffer delays, the latest being [3]an issue with one of the RS-25 engine flight controllers necessitating a replacement, although the agency continues to eye launch opportunities in the first half of 2022. The SLS is impressively over-budget and NASA has only so much taxpayer cash to spread around.
[4]
NASA must also work with its partners, such as the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Russia (in the form of Roscosmos), to keep the ISS ticking over. Roscosmos indicated last year that it would much rather [5]do its own thing as its commitments wound down.
[6]What will life in orbit look like after the ISS? NASA hands out new space station contracts
[7]Russia: It isn't just us – a bit of an old US rocket might get as close as 5.4km to the ISS
[8]You, me and debris: NASA cans ISS spacewalk because it's getting too risky outside
[9]Russia blows up old satellite, NASA boss 'outraged' as ISS crew shelters from debris
However, with commercial stations unlikely to trouble orbit in the immediate future, keeping the ISS going a bit longer to allow what NASA described as a "seamless transition of capabilities" makes a certain amount of sense. NASA recently [10]announced cash for space station design concepts and companies such as Axiom Space have designs on using the ISS as a platform from which to build out a commercial station. With the first module not due until 2024, a few more years of ISS operations would doubtless be welcome.
That said, the ISS is ageing. The first component was launched in 1998, and the station itself recently passed the milestone of 21 years of occupation. Last year [11]cracks were detected in the Russian portion of the outpost and a minor leak was detected in 2019. Losses of air over time from the lab is not unusual, but with some components entering their third decade in space, keeping things going through 2030 could be seen as ambitious.
[12]
Especially with some partners [13]getting a little trigger happy with the anti-satellite weapons . ®
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[1] https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2021/12/31/biden-harris-administration-extends-space-station-operations-through-2030/
[2] https://twitter.com/VP/status/1477013565752098816
[3] https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/2021/12/17/artemis-i-integrated-testing-update/
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YdYjGlBWqsDjnYqtgM-PIgAAAFg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2021/04/22/russia_iss_2025/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2021/12/03/nasa_space_station/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2021/12/01/iss_debris/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2021/11/30/iss_debris/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2021/11/16/russia_satellite_iss/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2021/12/03/nasa_space_station/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2021/08/31/international_space_station_cracks/
[12] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YdYjGlBWqsDjnYqtgM-PIgAAAFg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2021/11/22/russias_orbital_insanity/
[14] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Best wishes
Should be ok, one progress cargo tug firing to reduce the lowest point of the orbit to about 25km above the south pacific will bring down the ISS nicely and I doubt if the fish will be bothered by chunks of ISS landing on them...
Re: Best wishes
Skylab fell on solid ground because its re-entry was uncontrolled. Unless something catastrophic happens to the ISS, it will be safely lowered into a remote spot in the ocean such as the " [1]spacecraft cemetery ".
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spacecraft_cemetery
where's the new one?
2025 is only 3 years away, and is ANYBODY constructing a new space station yet? Yeah better kick the can down the road a bit in the mean time...
Looks like the ISS must follow in the footsteps of Mir and the Space Shuttle, living WAY past its (original) project expiration date.
(that is NOT necessarily a BAD thing as I see it)
I suppose you could say the same about things like Mars rovers, too.
Re: where's the new one?
Axiom has modules under construction, the first is due to launch in 2024 and will initially dock with the ISS. Once they've launched their airlock module and added it they'll have a self contained station that can cut loose of the ISS and go its own way.
is ANYBODY constructing a new space station yet?
China still has a pair of lab modules to send up and attach to Tiāngōng (I think that both missions are scheduled for later this year).
Best wishes
Good to see that the science will continue for a while longer. Just hoping the old thing will maintain integrity and remain air tight.
De-commissioning may present a few issues as anything that size re-entering the atmosphere might well result in large chunks surviving to ground level. After all bits of Skylab were recovered after that fell to Earth.