SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Trump's plan to privatize the ISS by 2025 probably won't work, NASA's inspector general says
The Trump Administration's plan to hand the International Space Station off to the private sector by 2025 probably won't work, says a government auditor. It's unlikely that any commercial companies will be able to take on the enormous costs of operating the ISS within the next six years, the auditor said.
NASA's inspector general, Paul Martin, laid out his concerns over the space station's transition during a Senate space subcommittee hearing May 16th, helmed by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL). During his testimony, Martin said that there's just no "sufficient business case" for space companies to take on the ISS's yearly operations costs, which are expected to reach $1.2 billion in 2024. The industries that would need the ISS, such as space tourism or space research and development, haven't panned out yet, he noted. Plus, the private space industry hasn't been very enthusiastic about using the ISS either — for research or for profit. "Candidly, the scant commercial interest shown in the station over its nearly 20 years of operation gives us pause about the agency's current plans," Martin said at the hearing.
Also at Ars Technica.
Related: NASA Intends to Privatize International Space Station
Congress Ponders the Fate of the ISS after 2024
Buzz Aldrin: Retire the ISS to Reach Mars
Can the International Space Station be Saved? Should It be Saved?
Trump Administration Plans to End Support for the ISS by 2025
(Score: 2) by takyon on Friday May 18 2018, @08:41AM (1 child)
$1.2 billion does not sound like the required operating costs of a typical space station. It seems like what NASA spends on it including science and support staff.
A space station should be mostly self-sufficient if built right and put in a nice, high orbit. Periodic resupply of goods with a BFR could be well under $100 million. ISS is not good for tourists because it has no B330s [wikipedia.org] and no artificial gravity scheme. And it is an aging facility which could need too much maintenance.
https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/5494/how-much-of-the-international-space-station-annual-operating-costs-are-due-to-hu [stackexchange.com]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by ledow on Friday May 18 2018, @11:13AM
Actually the US alone generally spends $3bn a year on it.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/01/09/nasa-plans-to-keep-the-international-space-station-going-until-2024-is-that-a-good-idea/?utm_term=.8a6c29810f8e [washingtonpost.com]
By comparison $1.2bn is the reduced cost if you don't do the unnecessary stuff, by the sounds of it.
It's by far not something you could run for a tenth of the price, especially if you're launching civilians to it.