NASA’s Support for Commercial LEO Destinations

Abstract

The International Space Station (ISS) is planned to be operated through 2030. To ensure a sustained US presence in low-Earth orbit (LEO) beyond the ISS end of life, NASA is enabling the development of safe, reliable, and cost-effective commercial LEO destinations that the private sector will own and operate. The goal is for NASA to meet its research and technology needs as a customer, not an operator, of these destinations and to be one of many customers. The primary purpose of NASA’s Commercial LEO Destinations (CLD) project is to stimulate US private industry development of free-flying orbital destination capabilities and create a market environment in which CLD services are available to both Government and private-sector customers. NASA is using a two-phase strategy to achieve this purpose: • Phase 1 – A period of formulation and design by private industry, in coordination with NASA, of CLD capabilities determined to be most suitable for potential Government and private-sector customer needs. • Phase 2 – A competitive procurement by NASA of services in LEO which would include certification by NASA of the transportation and accommodations of NASA crew and payloads on CLDs. Four companies are developing CLDs, in partnership with NASA — one under contract and three under Funded Space Act Agreements. This paper will describe the role that NASA is playing to encourage development of CLD services in LEO and development of demand for those services.