Roskosmos Will Handle Flights In Absence Of Shuttles, CEV

NASA announced this week the space agency has signed a five-year, $719 million International Space Station crew and cargo contract with Russia's Federal Space Agency (FSA). The firm-fixed price extension covers crew rotations for 15 crew members, six in 2009, six in 2010 and three in 2011... as well as the delivery and removal of 12,300 lbs of cargo.

With the contract, the US space agency is also purchasing a Russian Docking Cargo Module flight in 2010 for the delivery of 3,086 lbs of NASA cargo to the ISS. That cargo is the outfitting hardware for Russia's ISS Multipurpose Laboratory Module. NASA is obligated to deliver the Russian module's hardware under a 2006 addendum to the ISS Balance of Contributions Agreement between NASA and the FSA.

In addition, NASA is purchasing a flight opportunity to and from the space station that will meet another obligation to the ISS partners. The 2009 flight will allow for an astronaut from the partners to spend approximately six months aboard the space station.

NASA's intention to limit Space Shuttle flights to ISS assembly missions and the retirement of the entire shuttle fleet in 2010 means it has to find cargo and crew transportation alternatives. It may purchase services from the European Space Agency for its cargo delivering Automated Transfer Vehicle, expected to have its maiden flight next year.

The US space agency's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program may provide the bulk of cargo transportation needs from 2010 to the space station. California based Space Exploration Technologies and Oklahoma's Rocketplane-Kistler are competing for this contract with their launch systems, Falcon 9 and Kistler-1 respectively.

Work in support of this contract is performed in Russia; Kazakhstan; onboard the International Space Station; at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, and Kennedy Space Center, FL.

FMI: www.nasa.gov