NASA will be on time to replace the International Space Station (ISS), or so the space agency says.
NASA and the companies it chose for the development of commercial space stations recently assured the public that the commercial space stations currently in development would be ready for launch in time for the retirement of the ISS, per Space News.
NASA's Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) was previously reported to be warning the space agency of a "precarious trajectory" that has placed the ISS' replacements too late to replace it by 2030.
NASA, Blue Origin, Nanoracks, And Northrop Grumman Assurance Details
NASA, along with Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, Nanoracks, and Northrop Grumman, was reported to have said that they don't share the concerns raised by watchdogs regarding the tardiness of the commercial space stations the two commercial companies are developing in regards to the ISS' retirement.
The space agency, along with the previously mentioned companies, said during a panel at the ISS Research and Development Conference on July 27 that their main goal is "a continuous human presence," according to Angela Heart, NASA's CLD program manager.
Hart mentioned that the companies with CLD awards are moving quickly and that the agreement's framework are created to allow the companies to run quickly and a lot faster than NASA's typical development.
She also added that ASAP and NASA's Office of the Inspector General (OIG) made a mistake by comparing the space stations' development with more traditional government programs because the companies with CLD agreements are pushed to be the first to launch their space station.
However, there are still some concerns regarding the readiness of the commercial space stations by 2030.
Christian Maender, executive president of in-space solutions at Axiom Space, said although he doesn't agree with the IOG and ASAP, he is concerned that the space stations are "going to be ready for us."
Another concern is from Rick Mastracchio, director of strategy and business development at Northrop Grumman, who said that the ability of the space stations to be ready before 2030 depends on the market. "That's really the big question. We can get there before [the] ISS comes down, but it's all dependent on the market," Mastracchio added.
It isn't exactly known who will be the space station's customers will be other than NASA and how much demand they will create.
NASA ASAP And OIG Concerns
You may remember that NASA's ASAP is concerned about NASA not being able to maintain a Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) presence due to the space stations launching later than planned. The lateness would create a gap between the ISS' retirement and the launching of the commercial space stations.
To avoid such a scenario, NASA was previously reported to be planning to issue formal requirements that the space stations being developed by the two commercial companies are ready for use by 2024. This announcement is even though the most ideal time to finish them is in the late 2020s.
NASA ASAP member Amy Donahue said that there would be very little margin for maintaining a "continuous US preresence in LEO" if NASA were to go ahead with its plan. She also added that the current schedule requires speeding up development at a pace faster than any other human spaceflight program since Project Mercury during the space race.
The OIG also voiced its concern on Nov. 30, 2021, in a report stating that NASA's schedules for the commercial space stations were "unrealistic."
"[NASA] projects that the first phase of its destination strategy will complete early design maturation in 2025," the OIG said in its report. "In our judgment, even if early design maturation is achieved in 2025, - challenging prospect in itself - a commercial program is not likely to be ready until well after 2030."
