SANTA FE, N.M. — A NASA study examined several options for continuing a national laboratory in low Earth orbit after the International Space Station but stopped short of recommending a specific option.
The study by the agency’s Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy, released by NASA Dec. 20, represents what it calls an “initial assessment” of models for a future national lab in low Earth orbit (LEO) after retirement of the ISS. The study was directed by the National Space Council at its September 2022 meeting and released to coincide with the council’s most recent meeting Dec. 20.
The 154-page report reviewed approaches to replace the International Space Station National Laboratory, the formal name given to the 50% of U.S. resources on the ISS set aside as a national lab. That lab is administrated by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), a non-profit organization, under an agreement with NASA.
The study reviewed six models for a future national lab that would use facilities on commercial space stations — called commercial LEO destinations or CLDs by NASA — or other spacecraft. Those models offered wide ranges in roles the government would play, with NASA leasing dedicated space on a commercial station at one extreme and the agency providing grants to users who would lease facilities on CLDs on their own at the other.
The study assessed the six models using five criteria, from ability to meet NASA needs to equity and accessibility, and using three scenarios of dynamic, steady and limited growth in overall commercial LEO activities. The study did not explicitly consider the cost of the various options.
The model that scored the best, in terms of being favorable across all market scenarios, was one called “Government Research Broker” where NASA serves as a broker for arranging flights of experiments on CLDs or other commercial spacecraft, an approach the study compared to NASA’s Launch Services…
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