NASA
NASA has canceled an over-budget, behind-schedule mission to display robotic satellite tv for pc servicing know-how in orbit, pulling the plug on a undertaking that has value $1.5 billion and possibly would have value practically $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 older 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 undertaking “following an in-depth, unbiased undertaking evaluate.”
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 undertaking in 2016. The mission’s authentic 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 Area Infrastructure Dexterous Robotic (SPIDER) basically 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 transformation 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 value overruns. Since 2016, the house company has requested $808 million from Congress for Restore-L and OSAM-1. Lawmakers responded by giving NASA practically $1.5 billion to fund the event of the mission, practically double what NASA mentioned it needed.
Restore-L, after which OSAM-1, has all the time loved assist 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 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 value will increase. The newest public schedule for OSAM-1 confirmed a launch date in 2026.
In 2020, after reshaping the Restore-L mission to change into OSAM-1, NASA formally laid out a price range for the renamed mission. On the time, NASA mentioned it could value $1.78 billion to design, construct, launch, and function. An unbiased evaluate board NASA established final 12 months to look at the OSAM-1 mission estimated the overall undertaking 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 firms engaged on business satellite tv for pc servicing applied sciences, and the satellite tv for pc trade 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, firms are focusing extra on extending satellite tv for pc life in different methods. Northrop Grumman has developed the Mission Extension Car, which might latch on to a satellite tv for pc and supply maneuvering functionality with out chopping into the shopper spacecraft to refuel it. Different firms are satellites which are designed, from the beginning, with refueling ports. The US army has a want to put gas depots and tankers in orbit to usually service its satellites, giving them the flexibility to repeatedly maneuver and burn propellant with out worrying about working out of gas.