While the notification is non-competitive, NASA indicated that "interested organizations" are free to submit proposals within 15 days of the NOI's issuance-by 05:00 PM EDT (02:00 PM PDT) on June 16th, 2022. "Due to the technical and schedule challenges experienced by Boeing, the number of missions previously awarded to Boeing and SpaceX, NASA projections of when alternative crew transportation systems will be available, and the technical challenges associated with establishing and maintaining a CTS capability for crewed flights to the ISS approximately every six months, it is necessary to award five additional PCMs to SpaceX." These delays highlight the need for backup spacecraft to ensure that crew replacements can continue to be sent to the ISS without interruption.
However, at this point, NASA is not supremely confident that Boeing will be able to validate the Starliner and meet its obligations under the CCP in the near future. Roscosmos' Director-General (Dmitry Rogozin) responded by threatening (and stating) that Russia would withdraw from the ISS program (though it has yet to commit to this course of action). In response, the U.S., the EU, and other ISS partner nations imposed sanctions on Russia and suspended cooperation with its federal space agency (Roscosmos). However, the fate of the ISS became the subject of concern in February of this year after Russia began its invasion of Ukraine. NASA's decision to extend its commitment to the ISS until 2030 was officially announced in December 2021. "warding five additional PCMs to SpaceX will ensure redundant and backup capabilities through 2030, which is essential for the following reasons: (i) the obligation to provide continuous flight availability for the safe operation of the ISS (ii) the potential for anomalies or accidents (iii) the potential for unforeseen external factors and, (iv) risks associated with the design of a safe and reliable CTS." "It is the policy of the United States to maintain an uninterrupted capability for human space flight and operations in low-Earth orbit, and beyond, as an essential instrument of national security and the capability to ensure continued United States participation and leadership in the exploration and utilization of space. The purpose of this, it states, is so that NASA can maintain rotating crews aboard the ISS and continue to meet its obligations to its international partners-which is in keeping with the NASA Authorization Act of 2015. According to the notice, NASA will be purchasing five additional Crew Transportation Systems (CTS) as part of the Commercial Crew Transportation Capabilities (CCtCap) contract they signed with SpaceX. The NOI was filed on Jun 1st, 2022, at 02:09 PM EDT (11:09 AM PDT) on behalf of NASA's Kennedy Space Center. With the recent withdrawal of the Russians from the ISS program, the future of the station has been somewhat uncertain. But perhaps the most significant takeaway from this filing is how it reaffirms NASA's commitment to the ISS until 2030. This decision is based in large part on the delays suffered by Boeing-NASA's other CCP commercial partner-and the development of its CST-100 Starliner spacecraft.
And issues like this pop up.Building on this success, NASA recently filed a notice of intent (NOI) to purchase five additional Crew Dragon spacecraft. However, every launch means new maintenance to perform. SpaceX has made amazing strides in making its rockets reusable. Dubbed C208, this particular Dragon capsule has supported multiple missions to the International Space Station. If NASA and SpaceX fix the fuel leak, the capsule will be ready to make its third launch into space. Is this a problem that the space agency will need to worry about down the road? While this particular Dragon capsule isn’t carrying any astronauts to the space station, it does raise questions about future launches to the station. That’s because the ISS relies on its cargo deliveries to keep the station running optimally. However, this SpaceX fuel leak is a bit more pressing. Back in April, NASA delayed a dress rehearsal for one of its Artemis Moon missions due to a fuel leak. This also isn’t the first time that NASA has had to delay a launch because of a fuel leak.
Ongoing fuel problems SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule prepares for liftoff with NASA astronauts Image source: AP/Shutterstock Luckily, new spacesuits are in the works. Spacewalks have also been on hold recently due to technical issues with NASA’s aging spacesuits. NASA Flight Engineer Kjell Lindgren also took charge of examining the spacesuits on the ISS. In the meantime, though, NASA is conducting eye exams on some of its astronauts. Neither NASA nor SpaceX has said how long they expect it to take to fix the fuel leak.
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