Looks For Replacement Cargo Ship After Shuttle Retires

Facing the imminent retirement of its three-ship fleet of space shuttles and delays to its Orion space capsule replacement, NASA has reportedly launched informal talks with Japan to purchase unmanned cargo resupply spacecraft.

Reuters reports the space agency has reached out to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) regarding its H-2 Transfer Vehicle, or HTV. Still under development, the HTV is designed to carry close to seven tons of supplies and equipment to the International Space Station.

First flight is expected sometime next year, with regular annual HTV launches following.

Japan's Yomiuri newspaper said Sunday NASA may order several of the $131 million vehicles, as the US space program struggles to meet its obligations to resupply the ISS with food, water and materials.

NASA had hoped to find the answer to that problem through the COTS commercial space development program. It has even lent its expertise to companies working to develop private alternatives to the space shuttle, as well as current ISS resuppliers such as Russia's Progress and the new Jules Verne automated transfer vehicle.

But with just over two years remaining until the last scheduled shuttle flight, NASA is actively seeking alternatives.

FMI: www.nasa.gov, www.jaxa.jp/index_e.html