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NASA
NASA has canceled an over-budget, behind-schedule mission to reveal robotic satellite tv for pc servicing expertise in orbit, pulling the plug on a venture that has value $1.5 billion and doubtless would have value almost $1 billion extra to get to the launch pad.
The On-orbit Servicing, Meeting, and Manufacturing 1 mission, generally known 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 house. The spacecraft for the OSAM-1 mission is partially constructed, however NASA introduced Friday that officers determined to cancel the venture “following an in-depth, unbiased venture evaluation.”
The house company cited “continued technical, value, and schedule challenges” for the choice to cancel OSAM-1.
Mission creep
The mission’s value has ballooned since NASA formally kicked off the venture in 2016. The mission’s unique scope referred to as for simply the refueling demonstration, however in 2020, officers tacked on the in-orbit meeting goal. This concerned including a posh piece of apparatus referred to as the House Infrastructure Dexterous Robotic (SPIDER) primarily a 16-foot-long (5-meter) robotic arm to assemble seven structural components 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 alteration in scope, the title of the mission modified from Restore-L to OSAM-1.
A report by NASA’s inspector general last year outlined the mission’s delays and price overruns. Since 2016, the house 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 wished.
Restore-L, after which OSAM-1, has all the time loved assist from Congress. The mission was managed by NASA’s Goddard House 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 House 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 value between $626 million and $753 million and might be prepared for launch within the second half of 2020. That did not occur, and the mission continued going through delays and price will increase. The newest public schedule for OSAM-1 confirmed a launch date in 2026.
In 2020, after reshaping the Restore-L mission to develop into OSAM-1, NASA formally laid out a funds for the renamed mission. On the time, NASA mentioned it will value $1.78 billion to design, construct, launch, and function. An unbiased evaluation board NASA established final yr to look at the OSAM-1 mission estimated the entire venture may value 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 business 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 an alternative, corporations are focusing extra on extending satellite tv for pc life in different methods. Northrop Grumman has developed the Mission Extension Vehicle, which may latch on to a satellite tv for pc and supply maneuvering functionality with out reducing into the client spacecraft to refuel it. Different corporations are taking a look at satellites which might be designed, from the beginning, with refueling ports. The US military has a desire to put gas depots and tankers in orbit to recurrently service its satellites, giving them the power to repeatedly maneuver and burn propellant with out worrying about working out of gas.
