Commercial LEO Destinations program
{{Short description|NASA program}}
{{Infobox project
| image =
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| type = Aerospace
| products =
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| country = United States
| owner = NASA
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| established={{start date and age|2021}}
| disestablished =
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| current_status = Active
| website = {{URL| https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/commercial-space/low-earth-orbit-economy/commercial-destinations-in-low-earth-orbit/|NASA Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destinations}}
}}
The Commercial LEO Destinations program (CLD, or Commercial Destinations in Low Earth Orbit, or Commercial low Earth orbit (LEO) Development Program) is a public/private partnership program of NASA to help facilitate the building of private commercial space stations (CSSs) in low Earth orbit.
Background
NASA must face the planned end of the International Space Station, whose deorbit is planned for the early 2030s. The agency therefore wants to have destinations in low Earth orbit ready to take over from the ISS. However, NASA no longer wishes to design, build and operate the stations but, rather, to be one of the customers who would use such a station if it were built and operated by private actors. NASA therefore proposed in 2021 to reuse the same formula used successfully for the delivery of cargo and crews to low orbit with the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services/Commercial Resupply Services (cargo transport) and Commercial Crew Development/Commercial Crew Program (transport crews). Furthermore, NASA is focusing on operating its own lunar exploration projects: Lunar Gateway station, with contracts to private companies to develop and provide space suits (Exploration Extravehicular Activity Services program),{{cite web |language=en |author=Jeff Foust |title=NASA awards "crossover" spacesuit task orders to Axiom and Collins |url=https://spacenews.com/nasa-awards-crossover-spacesuit-task-orders-to-axiom-and-collins/ |date=10 July 2023 |website=SpaceNews |access-date=4 August 2023}} the placement of payloads onto the Moon (Commercial Lunar Payload Services program) and the landing of astronauts (Human Landing System program).{{citation needed|date=October 2023}}
NASA also began a program in 2014, NextSTEP Appendix I,{{Cite web |title=NextSTEP Overview - NASA |url=https://www.nasa.gov/nextstep-overview/ |access-date=2024-01-01 |language=en-US}} which has the aim to add additional modules to the ISS. Axiom Space won a 2021 bid process and was awarded a contract $140 million to build, and then attach, its modules to the International Space Station. In December 2024, Axiom Space revised its station assembly plans to enable the autonomous operation of the Axiom Station after two launches, with only one module being attached to the ISS in 2027 before separating about one year later.{{cite web |last=Foust |first=Jeff |url=https://spacenews.com/axiom-space-revises-space-station-assembly-plans/ |title=Axiom Space revises space station assembly plans |work=SpaceNews |date=18 December 2024 |access-date=18 December 2024}}
A previously projected part of the program, NextSTEP Appendix K, was to select standalone station projects but was canceled in August 2020.{{cite web |language=en |author=Jeff Foust |title=NASA puts solicitation for commercial free-flyer station on hold |url=https://spacenews.com/nasa-puts-solicitation-for-commercial-free-flyer-station-on-hold/ |date=27 August 2020 |website=SpaceNews |access-date=4 August 2023}}.
Setting up the program
In March 2021, NASA created the Commercial LEO Destinations program which aims to support the design, build and operation of private Earth-orbiting space stations in which the agency would be just one of the customers (tenant or other form of contract), with companies retaining ownership of their stations.{{cite web |language=en |author=Michael Sheetz |title=NASA wants companies to develop and build new space stations, with up to $400 million up for grabs |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/27/nasa-commercial-leo-destinations-project-for-private-space-stations.html |date=27 March 2021 |website=CNBC |access-date=4 August 2023}}
Participants
Several companies indicated initial interest in the program during 2021, including Airbus, Blue Origin, Boeing, Collins Aerospace, Firefly Aerospace, General Dynamics, ispace, Lockheed Martin, Moog Inc., Nanoracks, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Redwire, RUAG Space, Sierra Nevada Corporation, SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, Virgin Orbit, Voyager Space Holdings, and York Space Systems.
The companies that actually applied in August 2021 were:{{cite web |language=en |title=System for Award Management : Commercial Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) Destinations (CLD) |url=https://sam.gov/opp/8cb537fda3cf4fe0ae4da1ad0ae3fd22/view |date=27 January 2022 |website=sam.gov |access-date=10 August 2023}}
- Nanoracks
- Space Villages Inc.
- Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
- Blue Origin
- Orbital Assembly Corporation (now Above: Space Development Corporation)
- Hamon Industries
- ThinkOrbital Inc.
- DEHAS Limited
- Maverick Space Systems Inc.
- SpaceX
- Relativity Space
Team selection
Three teams were selected in December 2021 to continue work with agency grants (subject to approval by the United States Congress{{update after|2021}}):{{cite web |language=en |author= |title=NASA Selects Companies to Develop Commercial Destinations in Space |url=https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-selects-companies-to-develop-commercial-destinations-in-space |date=2 December 2021 |website=NASA |access-date=4 August 2023}}{{cite web |language=en |author=Jeff Foust |title=NASA awards funding to three commercial space station concepts |url=https://spacenews.com/nasa-awards-funding-to-three-commercial-space-station-concepts/ |date=3 December 2021 |website=SpaceNews |access-date=4 August 2023}}{{cite web |language=en |author=Eric Berger |title=NASA sets sail into a promising but perilous future of private space stations |url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/12/nasa-sets-sail-into-a-promising-but-perilous-future-of-private-space-stations/ |date=3 December 2021 |website=Ars Technica |access-date=4 August 2023}}{{cite web |language=en |author=Elizabeth Howell |title=NASA awards $415 million for private space stations amid ISS transition questions |url=https://www.space.com/nasa-private-space-station-design-contracts |date=3 December 2021 |website=NASA |access-date=4 August 2023}}
File:Northrop Grumman Commercial Space Station concept, IAC 2022.jpg 2022.]]
- Nanoracks, associated with its majority shareholder Voyager Space and Lockheed Martin, was granted $160 million to develop its Starlab Space Station project,
- Blue Origin, associated with Sierra Space (carve-out from Sierra Nevada Corporation), Boeing and Redwire, was granted $130 million to develop its Orbital Reef project,
- Northrop Grumman, associated with Dynetics, was granted $125.6 million to develop its unnamed station.
Lockheed Martin withdrew from the Starlab project and was replaced by Airbus Defense and Space in 2023.{{Cite web |last1=Hephner |first1=Tim |last2=Roulette |first2=Joey |date=August 2, 2023 |title=Voyager Space and Airbus deepen tie-up on new space station |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/space/voyager-space-airbus-deepen-tie-up-new-space-station-2023-08-02/ |access-date=December 31, 2023 |website=Reuters}}
On October 4, 2023, Northrop Grumman announced that it was joining the Starlab project and abandoning its own station project. The company plans in particular to develop an autonomous docking system for its Cygnus cargo ship, which will resupply the station. The company had already received $36.6 million of the $125.6 million granted by NASA.{{cite web |language=en |author=Jeff Foust |title=Northrop Grumman to join Voyager Space commercial space station project |url=https://spacenews.com/northrop-grumman-to-join-voyager-space-commercial-space-station-project/ |date=4 October 2023 |website=SpaceNews |access-date=5 September 2023}}.
Also in October 2023, it was made public by CNBC that the partnership between Blue Origin and Sierra Space could end, with the two companies refocusing on their priority projects, respectively the Blue Moon and the Dream Chaser. The team had already received $24 million of the $130 million granted by NASA.{{cite web |language=en |author=Michael Sheetz |title=Blue Origin, Sierra Space weigh future of Orbital Reef space station as partnership turns rocky |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/09/28/blue-origin-sierra-space-orbital-reef-space-station-in-limbo.html |date=28 September 2023 |website=CNBC |access-date=5 October 2023}}.
In January 2024, an additional $100M in funding was added to the program.{{cite web | url=https://www.space.com/nasa-adds-private-space-station-funding | title=NASA awards another $100 million for private space stations | website=Space.com }}{{clarify|what this just money added by US gvmt to allow NASA to have more to operate the program? Or was it extra money to the three companies awarded during the early design phase?|date=November 2024}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.nasa.gov/leo-economy/commercial-destinations-in-low-earth-orbit Commercial Destinations in Low Earth Orbit]
Category:Public–private partnership projects in the United States