NASA Administrator’s Update on Space Station

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We publish NASA Administrator Charles Bolden’s update on the International Space Station. The announcement, originally published on the NASA website, reports NASA’s answer to the public concerns about the consequence of the failure of a Soyuz rocket while delivery Progress M-05M cargo spacecraft to the ISS ofAugust 24.

NASA Administrator’s Update on Space Station

Charles Bolden, NASA Administrator (Source: NASA).

There has been a lot in the news recently about the International Space Station (ISS) and our astronauts aboard this orbiting outpost, and I wanted to take a moment to give you an update. Last week, our Russian partners lost a Progress cargo vehicle during launch. The cargo lost, although important, can be replaced.

Our first priority is to keep everyone safe and the station crewed.

All of us are focused on determining the cause of the Soyuz booster anomaly so we can resolve it and get back to flying crew safely to the ISS. Our first priority is to keep everyone safe and the station crewed. Keeping the crew on-board allows us to continue the scientific research mission planned for the ISS and to help make the breakthroughs that will make our missions to farther destinations possible.

We believe the Soyuz crew capsule would have performed an abort and a ballistic entry if this same failure occurred on a Soyuz booster during a crew flight. We are confirming this with our Russian colleagues.

The ISS an the Space Shuttle (Credits: Paolo Nespoli, NASA/ESA).

The failure appears to be in the third stage of the Soyuz booster. The third stage is common between the Soyuz U booster used for Progress cargo flights and the Soyuz F/G booster used for crew launches. We believe the Soyuz crew capsule would have performed an abort and a ballistic entry if this same failure occurred on a Soyuz booster during a crew flight. We are confirming this with our Russian colleagues. However, we want to fully understand the failure, before flying crew.

The crew on board the station are doing very well. They are in good spirits, and have plenty of supplies, thanks to the cargo carried up on STS-135. Three members of the crew, including U.S. astronaut Ron Garan, will return to Earth on September 16 as part of the regular crew rotation. The other three members will remain on the ISS and complete their rotations as planned.

The Russians will not launch another Soyuz booster until their investigation is complete and the rocket is re-validated.

The Russians will not launch another Soyuz booster until their investigation is complete and the rocket is re-validated. Current planning will allow for at least one unmanned booster to fly before the Soyuz booster is used again for crew launch.

The incident does remind us of the urgency of bringing on-line U.S. transportation capabilities for both crew and cargo. 

The incident does remind us of the urgency of bringing on-line U.S. transportation capabilities for both crew and cargo. Redundancy of systems has always been a fundamental consideration in sound spacecraft design. Redundancy is an equally important consideration at the vehicle level as we continue to operate and maintain the ISS, and as we take on increasingly complex exploration missions involving international cooperation.

Our commercial partners SpaceX and Orbital are making steady progress and are working hard to demonstrate their new cargo transport vehicles. Yesterday, the Federal Aviation Administration granted a license to Orbital for their first demonstration launch next year. And SpaceX is currently scheduled to launch a cargo flight to demonstrate berthing with the ISS later this year.

President Obama has requested $850 million for commercial activities in the Fiscal Year 2012 budget, and our partners are working now to develop spacecraft, rockets and supporting systems that will help us create that important robust and redundant access to the ISS in the next few years.

Soyuz-U launch vehicle carrying the Progress M12-M cargo vehicle during rolling out (Source: RSC Energia).

We also continue to make progress with our four partners in the Commercial Crew Development Program to facilitate multiple new capabilities to transport astronauts to and from the ISS with American companies. This is a crucial aspect of our future human spaceflight activities that will allow us to fully utilize the ISS and will enable NASA to focus more resources on deep space exploration. President Obama has requested $850 million for commercial activities in the Fiscal Year 2012 budget, and our partners are working now to develop spacecraft, rockets and supporting systems that will help us create that important robust and redundant access to the ISS in the next few years.

I am confident that the Soyuz vehicles will return to flight and that our commercial partners will soon be delivering cargo to the ISS. 

All of this represents steady progress toward our ultimate goal of getting American companies launching cargo and eventually crews again from the U.S. I am confident that the Soyuz vehicles will return to flight and that our commercial partners will soon be delivering cargo to the ISS. I am also confident in each of you and the work you do to keep NASA on the cutting edge of research, exploration, and scientific discovery.

Charlie B.

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About the author

Andrea Gini

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Andrea Gini is a content strategy consultant specialized in companies of the space sector. He is founder of Space Safety Magazine, where he held the position of Editor-in-Chief until March 2015. Between 2011 and 2013 he worked in the European Space Agency in the Independent Safety Office, which overviews the utilization of the International Space Station. He previously worked as Software Developer, IT Consultant, and trainer of Java-related technologies. Andrea holds a BSc and an MSc in computer science from the University of Milano, a Master in Communication of Science from the International School for Advanced Studies of Trieste and a MSc in Space Studies from the International Space University.

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