A commercial module may appear on the ISS.
This is the first step to creating a private orbital space station.
Frame from the film “Oblivion” with Tom Cruise
The former head of the ISS program at NASA, Michael Saffredini (Michael Suffredini), announced his intention to create a private space station. Presenting his program at the NewSpace 2016 conference, Saffredini, now president of the commercial division of Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies (SGT), announced his intention to install a commercial module on the ISS. This, he said, is the first step in the implementation of the project of a private space station.
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Saffredini left the position of the ISS Program Manager at NASA last year. And now he has founded his own company, Axiom Space LLC, which will work on various programs for the development of near-Earth space and its “monetization”. Now, taking up the post of president of Axiom Space LLC, he is discussing the possibility of adding another module to the station structure with the leadership of NASA, this time a commercial module.
“We would like to create a module that would start working on the International Space Station. This will help us move from research to production, and start implementing our project to create a private space station, ”Saffredini comments on his idea.
He stated that he would like to create a module as quickly as possible. And this means that the first phase of the project will be ready by 2020-2021. The company did not say anything about its financing, but plans will be discussed with investors this fall - several companies have expressed interest in participating in the project. The preliminary design of the module should be ready by December of this year. And the author of the project hopes to build a module by January 2017, although such a plan, in his own words, is “aggressive”.
Saffredini did not say anything about the company that will develop and build the module, but noted that this can be not only an organization from the United States, applications are also being accepted from companies that are registered in other countries. Most likely, according to Michael Saffredini, the module will be inflatable - its design can be very similar to the structure of the module from Bigelow Aerospace. “In order to make money, we must get into orbit as quickly as possible. I think the construction of an inflatable module will take some time, ”he said.
After the module is manufactured, it will be delivered to the ISS, and already in orbit it will be monetized through cooperation with various companies and individuals. It is planned to earn on a number of projects, ranging from research and ending with space tourism. The module will also be used by NASA specialists in the case when it is free. Research equipment from the entire station, when it has served its time, will be transported to this module for storage.
Before the ISS itselfis decommissioned and burns in the atmosphere, it takes a deserved rest, the module is planned to be disconnected from the station. This will happen around 2024. The module will become the center of a new commercial space station. Other modules and equipment will be added to it, including the gateway, the docking station, power connection and power units.
The initiator of this project believes that the project to create a private space station can be commercially successful. According to him, if everything goes well, the station will cost about $ 37 billion in the period between 2020 and 2030. Access to the station will be from commercial companies and from government agencies.
Bigelow Aerospace plans are analogous to the project of the above mentioned company Axiom Space LLC. She has already installed a module on the ISS and successfully deployed it. After the first visit, the ISS team will enter it 3-4 times a year, for several hours. This is necessary to check its internal state. Most of the module status information will be collected using surveillance systems.
And this company also has far-reaching plans to create a commercial space station, where inflatable modules will play a major role. The company has already signed a contract with NASA, which provides for work with an inflatable module connected to the ISS for two years. True, the module will not be used, it is installed so far only for tests and observations.
It is not yet known whether the ISS can connect two inflatable modules at once. “Connecting ports are a valuable resource. NASA needs to formulate options for our interaction, ”says Saffredini.
Inflatable modules are a good idea. The same Bigelow Aerospace module is about 9 times lighter than a conventional aluminum module. The mass of the inflatable module is only 1360 kg, while the mass of the aluminum Unity module used on the ISS is now 11793 kg. At the same time, BEAM is expandable, so that it is also much easier to launch it into orbit than a standard module, which is put into space in parts. At the moment, the ability of BEAM to withstand the conditions of outer space outside and maintain optimal conditions for humans inside is being tested.
Frame from the film “Oblivion” with Tom Cruise
The former head of the ISS program at NASA, Michael Saffredini (Michael Suffredini), announced his intention to create a private space station. Presenting his program at the NewSpace 2016 conference, Saffredini, now president of the commercial division of Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies (SGT), announced his intention to install a commercial module on the ISS. This, he said, is the first step in the implementation of the project of a private space station.
')
Saffredini left the position of the ISS Program Manager at NASA last year. And now he has founded his own company, Axiom Space LLC, which will work on various programs for the development of near-Earth space and its “monetization”. Now, taking up the post of president of Axiom Space LLC, he is discussing the possibility of adding another module to the station structure with the leadership of NASA, this time a commercial module.
“We would like to create a module that would start working on the International Space Station. This will help us move from research to production, and start implementing our project to create a private space station, ”Saffredini comments on his idea.
He stated that he would like to create a module as quickly as possible. And this means that the first phase of the project will be ready by 2020-2021. The company did not say anything about its financing, but plans will be discussed with investors this fall - several companies have expressed interest in participating in the project. The preliminary design of the module should be ready by December of this year. And the author of the project hopes to build a module by January 2017, although such a plan, in his own words, is “aggressive”.
Saffredini did not say anything about the company that will develop and build the module, but noted that this can be not only an organization from the United States, applications are also being accepted from companies that are registered in other countries. Most likely, according to Michael Saffredini, the module will be inflatable - its design can be very similar to the structure of the module from Bigelow Aerospace. “In order to make money, we must get into orbit as quickly as possible. I think the construction of an inflatable module will take some time, ”he said.
After the module is manufactured, it will be delivered to the ISS, and already in orbit it will be monetized through cooperation with various companies and individuals. It is planned to earn on a number of projects, ranging from research and ending with space tourism. The module will also be used by NASA specialists in the case when it is free. Research equipment from the entire station, when it has served its time, will be transported to this module for storage.
Before the ISS itself
The initiator of this project believes that the project to create a private space station can be commercially successful. According to him, if everything goes well, the station will cost about $ 37 billion in the period between 2020 and 2030. Access to the station will be from commercial companies and from government agencies.
Bigelow Aerospace plans are analogous to the project of the above mentioned company Axiom Space LLC. She has already installed a module on the ISS and successfully deployed it. After the first visit, the ISS team will enter it 3-4 times a year, for several hours. This is necessary to check its internal state. Most of the module status information will be collected using surveillance systems.
And this company also has far-reaching plans to create a commercial space station, where inflatable modules will play a major role. The company has already signed a contract with NASA, which provides for work with an inflatable module connected to the ISS for two years. True, the module will not be used, it is installed so far only for tests and observations.
It is not yet known whether the ISS can connect two inflatable modules at once. “Connecting ports are a valuable resource. NASA needs to formulate options for our interaction, ”says Saffredini.
Inflatable modules are a good idea. The same Bigelow Aerospace module is about 9 times lighter than a conventional aluminum module. The mass of the inflatable module is only 1360 kg, while the mass of the aluminum Unity module used on the ISS is now 11793 kg. At the same time, BEAM is expandable, so that it is also much easier to launch it into orbit than a standard module, which is put into space in parts. At the moment, the ability of BEAM to withstand the conditions of outer space outside and maintain optimal conditions for humans inside is being tested.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/395449/
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