NASA
NASA has canceled an over-budget, behind-schedule mission to show robotic satellite tv for pc servicing expertise in orbit, pulling the plug on a challenge that has price $1.5 billion and possibly would have price almost $1 billion extra to get to the launch pad.
The On-orbit Servicing, Meeting, and Manufacturing 1 mission, referred to as OSAM-1, would have grappled an growing old Landsat satellite tv for pc in orbit and tried to refuel it, whereas additionally demonstrating how a robotic arm may assemble an antenna in area. The spacecraft for the OSAM-1 mission is partially constructed, however NASA introduced Friday that officers determined to cancel the challenge “following an in-depth, unbiased challenge overview.”
The area company cited “continued technical, price, and schedule challenges” for the choice to cancel OSAM-1.
Mission creep
The mission’s price has ballooned since NASA formally kicked off the challenge in 2016. The mission’s authentic scope known as for simply the refueling demonstration, however in 2020, officers tacked on the in-orbit meeting goal. This concerned including a fancy piece of kit known as the Area Infrastructure Dexterous Robotic (SPIDER) primarily a 16-foot-long (5-meter) robotic arm to assemble seven structural parts right into a single Ka-band communications antenna.
The addition of SPIDER meant the mission would launch with three robotic arms, together with two appendages wanted to seize onto the Landsat 7 satellite tv for pc in orbit for the refueling demonstration. With this modification in scope, the title of the mission modified from Restore-L to OSAM-1.
A report by NASA’s inspector normal final 12 months outlined the mission’s delays and price overruns. Since 2016, the area company has requested $808 million from Congress for Restore-L and OSAM-1. Lawmakers responded by giving NASA almost $1.5 billion to fund the event of the mission, almost double what NASA mentioned it needed.
Restore-L, after which OSAM-1, has all the time loved help from Congress. The mission was managed by NASA’s Goddard Area Flight Middle in Maryland. Former Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Maryland) was a key backer of NASA missions run out of Goddard, together with the James Webb Area Telescope. She was the highest Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee when Congress began funding Restore-L in late 2015.
At one time, NASA projected the Restore-L mission would price between $626 million and $753 million and could possibly be prepared for launch within the second half of 2020. That did not occur, and the mission continued dealing with delays and price will increase. The latest public schedule for OSAM-1 confirmed a launch date in 2026.
In 2020, after reshaping the Restore-L mission to turn into OSAM-1, NASA formally laid out a funds for the renamed mission. On the time, NASA mentioned it could price $1.78 billion to design, construct, launch, and function. An unbiased overview board NASA established final 12 months to look at the OSAM-1 mission estimated the overall challenge may price as a lot as $2.35 billion, in response to Jimi Russell, a NASA spokesperson.
The realities of the satellite tv for pc servicing market have additionally modified since 2016. There are a number of corporations engaged on industrial satellite tv for pc servicing applied sciences, and the satellite tv for pc business has shifted away from refueling unprepared spacecraft, as OSAM-1 would have demonstrated with the Landsat 7 Earth-imaging satellite tv for pc.
As a substitute, corporations are focusing extra on extending satellite tv for pc life in different methods. Northrop Grumman has developed the Mission Extension Automobile, which may latch on to a satellite tv for pc and supply maneuvering functionality with out slicing into the client spacecraft to refuel it. Different corporations are taking a look at satellites which are designed, from the beginning, with refueling ports. The US army has a want to put gasoline depots and tankers in orbit to repeatedly service its satellites, giving them the flexibility to repeatedly maneuver and burn propellant with out worrying about operating out of gasoline.
