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A NASA safety panel has expressed concerns about NASA’s plans to transition from the International Space Station (ISS) to commercial successors. The Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel issued a recommendation calling on NASA to provide a comprehensive understanding of the requirements needed for this transition. The panel expressed concerns about the schedule for developing commercial space stations and the lack of a clear business case for these stations, which could create programmatic and safety risks for NASA’s plans.

NASA is currently funding design work by two teams on commercial space stations and supporting work by Axiom Space to develop commercial modules for the ISS. The agency has also issued a request for information seeking feedback from companies on requirements for human-rating commercial stations for NASA crews.

The panel discussed challenges in developing commercial space stations, such as export control issues and working with different nations for access to the stations. NASA recognizes these challenges and plans to address them in the coming year.

One of the biggest challenges for NASA is the available funding to support the development of commercial space stations. Budget concerns could result in cuts to programs like commercial low Earth orbit (LEO) destinations, which could delay the timeline for having a commercial station ready by the end of the decade.

Additionally, there are concerns about funding the United States Deorbit Vehicle (USDV), which will handle the controlled reentry of the ISS. The panel emphasizes that funding the deorbit vehicle is crucial and raises concerns about uncertainty over how it will be funded.

Sources:
(1) NASA safety panel expresses concerns about transition to commercial space stations – SpaceNews
(2) Image Source: NASA

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