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Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:
NASA’s plans to shift from the International Space Station to commercial space stations may force one key partner to rethink how it cooperates in low Earth orbit.
Speaking at a panel on space diplomacy organized by George Washington University’s Space Policy Institute Feb. 23, Sylvie Espinasse, head of the European Space Agency’s Washington office, said the current arrangements between ISS partners to barter resources won’t work well on future commercial stations in low Earth orbit.
“ESA-NASA cooperation on the ISS is based on non-exchange of funds and barter of goods and services between the partners,” she said. “This allows ESA to use its asset in orbit, the Columbus module, and to fly its European astronauts.”
Once NASA shifts to commercial stations, though, “ESA will probably not be in a position to buy commercial services from U.S. providers for its research activities in LEO or to fly its astronauts,” she warned. “This will probably not be acceptable for our member states.” Buying services from U.S. companies, she explained, would contradict an ESA mandate to support Europe’s space industry.
ESA doesn’t have a formal plan for operations in LEO after the ISS is retired in 2030 but Espinasse said there were several possible options if the agency can’t buy services directly from American companies. One would be for NASA to be an intermediary, buying services from commercial stations and then bartering with ESA as it does today on the ISS.
“NASA becomes a broker between ESA and U.S. providers,” she said. “But I don’t think this kind of solution can be a long-term solution. It’s too complex.”
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 25 2022, @06:04PM (3 children)
The ESA is late to the game without a plan or a clue. We've only known this was coming for a decade, so they haven't even had time to schedule a meeting to discuss setting up a committee to review the issue.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 25 2022, @10:27PM (2 children)
How would you know?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 25 2022, @11:50PM (1 child)
ESA only realized last year that they aren't competitive and starting to talk about building a competitor to the Falcon 9 to hopefully fly by 2030, or about 15 years too late. (sorry, don't remember where the article was)
In the article above they straight up admit that they don't have a plan for what to do with their crew program, only that going through NASA isn't what they want.
It seems I was wrong [spacenews.com]. The ESA did have a meeting earlier this month and agreed to set up a committee by this summer to figure out what they want to do in space, to be reported on at their summit next year.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Saturday February 26 2022, @12:12AM
That sounds pretty ultra-rapid. Hopefully, they'll be able to report seating assignments and such at that summit, get this ball rolling.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by stretch611 on Saturday February 26 2022, @04:42AM
https://news.yahoo.com/us-russia-tensions-spill-space-181153798.html [yahoo.com]
Russia is threatening to stop participating in the ISS... Just like a child it is talking about taking its propulsion module and going home,
FTA:
Now with 5 covid vaccine shots/boosters altering my DNA :P