NASA's space station blues

Politico

5 hours ago

With help from John Hendel, Camille von Kaenel and Tyler Katzenberger
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The Spotlight
After two billion miles and nearly three decades, NASA is ready to trade in its old, leaky space station for a flashy new one.
The problem: NASA can't decide what it wants. A sleek research base? A bare bones structure? A hotel where tourists rub shoulders with astronauts? The indecision could bankrupt space companies, crank up tensions with Congress and leave astronauts without a long-term home in near-Earth orbit.
The International Space Station is essential for research that could lead to humans living in space, as well as thousands of other science experiments that inform everything from cancer treatments to robotics.
Tell you what I want: NASA is supposed to give companies a peek by late June at what it wants in a space station. The agency would like a commercially-operated one in orbit by 2029, and aims to crash the ISS into the ocean in 2031. These plans became even more critical this month after an air leak on its space station delayed the visit of four astronauts.
NASA, at the last minute, canceled a long-planned May event to discuss its goals for a new one, an ominous sign of the space agency's commitment to the mission. The meeting was supposed to help lay the groundwork for what NASA would ask for in June, but officials haven't rescheduled it.
The only language companies have to go on — such as 'solve Earth's challenges' — is vague at best.
Businesses that hope to make millions off space stations want clarity in order to lure investors and spend wisely. 'Companies can raise the capital necessary to build and launch a space station, but only if the U.S. government makes the plan clear,' said Jared Stout, chief global policy officer at space station company Axiom.
About your old ride: Congress is also worried. 'We're all anxious to see that [request for proposal] come out sometime this summer,' said a Senate Republican Committee aide, granted anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. 'We really do need to start seeing NASA make some serious moves here.'
Lawmakers are talking with NASA about the program to ensure it stays on track, the aide said. But if the space agency fails to make headway by early fall, when NASA faces a deadline to make clear what it wants, they may consider more serious levels of oversight. (Think hearings or rearranging funding.)
They may be waiting awhile. NASA is operating with only an acting administrator until at least the fall, and isn't getting much direction from the White House. That makes it tough for the agency to move forward with any major decisions. NASA didn't respond to our requests for comment.
Out of gas: The longer NASA waits, the fewer bidders it will have left. Space stations are expensive. Axiom estimates a four-module station costs $3 billion. NASA only forks out a few hundred million dollars each year in awards.
That means companies have to win over the handful of investors who have both the deep pockets and risk tolerance to bet on a space station, said Alex MacDonald, NASA's former chief economist. NASA's refusal so far to choose one or two companies is another potential problem for investors, he said, as it makes it less clear who to bet on.
The ISS can limp along for a bit longer. The station could even extend its service life past 2030, although a lack of spare parts will make it increasingly hard to run. Eventually, the bill will come due — and a bold experiment in living in space may grind to an end.
Spectrum
SKY HIGH DREAMS FOR BROADBAND: Elon Musk, who has had a tough month, may finally get a win. The Trump administration just handed satellite companies a victory in overhauling a $42 billion program meant to expand internet to underserved areas.
Give satellite a chance: The original version of the infrastructure grant program relegated satellite broadband to a lower status reserved for extremely remote regions.
The new rules, released June 6 and spearheaded by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, wipe out technology preferences. They put satellites on par with fiber, wireless and other tech. Lutnick stressed a desire to make deployments 'cheap.'
That could benefit Musk's satellite broadband offering, Starlink, and possibly Project Kuiper, a similar service from Amazon that's yet to sign up private customers. States have a say too, though, and can choose not to spend the money on satellites.
Funny timing: Another curious detail: The program's satellite-friendly revamp arrived right after President Donald Trump threatened Musk's government subsidies, seemingly undercutting the seriousness of the president's promise to hurt his former ally's business.
The administration wouldn't say whether the White House is considering further changes but stressed it's 'exploring all options' to deliver broadband effectively. Some states were scheduled to begin installing internet networks this year, but the overhaul bumped that into at least 2026. Lutnick said he hopes to release the money by year's end.
Now or never: Some Republicans don't want to wait. 'I would rather have our money now,' Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a member of GOP leadership, told John.
Advocacy groups and Democrats, meanwhile, worry who will actually benefit. 'It feels like they're just stalling things to reward some of their wealthy friends,' Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), the top Democrat on the telecom subcommittee, told John.
In the States
MUSK VS CALIFORNIA: One of Musk's favorite foes is under new leadership — and already girding itself for battle.
California's Coastal Commission, which set off a row with the SpaceX founder last year when it rejected the company's plan for increased rocket launches, elected new leaders last week to help oversee the agency tasked with protecting the state's coast.
That includes new chair Meagan Harmon, who hails from Santa Barbara County, home of Vandenberg Space Force Base, and vice chair Caryl Hart, a former parks director who also served as chair during the agency's SpaceX decision.
As our own Camille von Kaenel reports, Hart acknowledged last week that 'this is a challenging time' for the commission, which both Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom also criticized over its SpaceX decision.
See you in court: SpaceX launched a legal challenge against the agency, alleging 'naked political discrimination.' The case is still pending before a Trump-appointed judge.
A Republican state lawmaker had tried to pass a bill to side with SpaceX and reverse the Coastal Commission's decision. But that Assembly member, Bill Essayli, has since been promoted by Trump to become a U.S. attorney for California's central district.
His bill, to let SpaceX launch up to 14 more Falcon 9 rockets from Vandenberg each year, died after no other Republicans took it up, our own Tyler Katzenberger reports.
That means the original decision stands, for now. Former Commission Chair Justin Cummings nodded at the hurdles ahead for the agency last week when welcoming the new leaders.
'This coming year is not going to be easy, and probably won't be easy for the next few years,' he told them.
The Reading Room
Satellite industry derides cuts as national security threat: POLITICO
New NASA Boss May Not Take Over Until Next Year, Acting Head Says: Bloomberg
Private Space Stations Are Racing to Be the Next 'It' Destination: The Wall Street Journal
Varda to launch its first in-house built spacecraft for on-orbit manufacturing: SpaceNews
Report Proposes Fixes For The Aerospace Talent Gap: Payload
Event Horizon
MONDAY:
The Center for Strategic and International Studies holds a fireside chat with Air Marshal Paul Godfrey.
TUESDAY:
The Mitchell Institute holds a discussion with Dr. Kelly D. Hammett of the Space Force.
WEDNESDAY:
The 2025 SmallSat & Space Access Summit runs from Wednesday to Thursday.
SpaceNews holds a discussion on geospatial intelligence.
Photo of the Week