The International Space Station (ISS) and the Administration’s Proposal to End Direct NASA Funding by 2025
Updated April 18, 2018
The International Space Station (ISS) and the Administration’s
Proposal to End Direct NASA Funding by 2025
Introduction
As well as providing facilities for research and technology
The Trump Administration’s FY2019 budget for the
development in low Earth orbit, the ISS serves as a test bed
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
and stepping stone for future human exploration missions to
proposes to end direct NASA funding of the International
more distant destinations. Through February 2017, ISS
Space Station (ISS) by 2025. Budget documents state that
research had resulted in 1,395 publications in scientific
industry “could potentially continue to operate certain
journals and 422 papers presented at scientific conferences.
elements or capabilities.” Some reports have characterized
NASA claims benefits that range from new surgical
this proposal as commercialization of the ISS. Under the
technology to improvements in water purification. At a
Administration’s plan, NASA would focus its human
congressional hearing in 2017, a University of Florida
spaceflight activities on the Moon and deep space; it would
scientist described the ISS as “a critical, unique, and
rely on commercial partners for its research and technology
extraordinarily capable research platform.”
demonstration needs in low Earth orbit.
The ISS is currently the only operational component of
This CRS In Focus provides background on the ISS, its
NASA’s human spaceflight program. Astronaut transport to
governing international agreements, its planned service life,
and from the ISS is provided by Russian spacecraft and, in
the ongoing commercialization of U.S. ISS access, and
the future, U.S. commercial providers. NASA’s plans for
current commercial use of the ISS. It concludes with a brief
future human exploration of space focus on the Moon and
discussion of congressional options.
other destinations beyond Earth orbit, for which a new
rocket and capsule are now in development. The first
Figure 1. The International Space Station, viewed
crewed flight of those new systems is expected in 2023.
from space shuttle Endeavour in 2011.
International Cooperation on the ISS
The framework for international cooperation on the ISS is
the Intergovernmental Agreement on Space Station
Cooperation, which was signed in 1998 by representatives
of the United States, Russia, Japan, Canada, and 11
European countries. The agreement is implemented through
memoranda of understanding between NASA and the
Russian Federal Space Agency (Roskosmos), the Japanese
Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Canadian
Space Agency (CSA), and the European Space Agency
(ESA). Additional agreements exist with several other
international partners.
The ISS components built and operated by NASA, JAXA,
CSA, and ESA are known as the U.S. operating segment.
Source: NASA.
They include laboratories, connecting nodes, an airlock,
docking ports, storage space, and external systems such as
What Is the ISS?
solar arrays and a manipulator arm. The components built
The ISS orbits Earth about every 90 minutes at an altitude
in Russia and operated by Roscosmos are known as the
of about 240 miles. This altitude is considered low Earth
Russian operating segment. They include crew living
orbit. For comparison, many telecommunications satellites
quarters, storage space, airlocks, and docking ports.
are in geosynchronous orbits at an altitude of about 22,000
miles, while the distance to the Moon is about 240,000
ISS Service Life
miles.
For most of the last decade, ISS operations were scheduled
to continue only through FY2016. Statutory authority for
The ISS is composed of crew living space, laboratories,
continued U.S. operation of the ISS was extended through
remote manipulator systems, solar arrays to generate
at least FY2020 by the NASA Authorization Act of 2010
electricity, and other elements. Overall, it is roughly the
(P.L. 111-267, Sec. 503(a)) and through at least FY2024 by
size of a football field. Its pressurized living and working
the U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act
spaces have about the same volume as the interior of a
(P.L. 114-90, Sec. 114(b)). In each case, NASA conducted
Boeing 747. Rotating crews have occupied it continuously
engineering reviews, with oversight by the Government
since November 2000.
Accountability Office and the NASA Inspector General, to
https://crsreports.congress.gov
The International Space Station (ISS) and the Administration’s Proposal to End Direct NASA Funding by 2025
identify and mitigate any safety and reliability concerns
reported in March 2018 on its plans for the future of the
arising from the extension of the ISS’s service life. The
ISS. The report advocated a transition to greater
extensions also required negotiations and agreements
commercial planning and execution of ISS activities, but it
between NASA and its international partners.
rejected the phrase “commercializing the ISS.”
Commercialization of ISS Access
Full or partial commercialization might help to stimulate
NASA used to rely on the space shuttle to carry U.S. cargo
and diversify the commercial space industry in low Earth
and crews to and from the ISS. The shuttle fleet was retired
orbit, while freeing up funds for human space exploration
after the final flight of Atlantis in July 2011. Since then, ISS
beyond Earth orbit, other NASA activities, other federal
cargo has been carried by Russian, European, and Japanese
programs, or deficit reduction. In these respects, the goal of
spacecraft, and starting in 2012, by two U.S. commercial
greater commercialization appears consistent with NASA’s
providers—Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and
reliance on commercial providers for ISS cargo and crew
Orbital ATK—under NASA contracts. In 2016, NASA
access and NASA’s ongoing encouragement of commercial
awarded a contract to Sierra Nevada Corporation as a third
use of the ISS. On the other hand, while a variety of
provider for ISS cargo missions starting in 2020.
companies are interested in using ISS facilities, there is
little sign as yet of commercial interest in taking over ISS
Since July 2011, ISS crews, including U.S. astronauts, have
operations as a whole. Some analysts question whether the
been carried exclusively by Russian Soyuz spacecraft, at a
ISS would make sense as a commercial venture, especially
cost of up to $82 million per seat. NASA has contracted
considering the involvement of multiple international
with two U.S. companies—SpaceX and Boeing—to
partners. Some form of public-private partnership might be
transport U.S. astronauts to and from the ISS. Both
easier to achieve than full commercialization; the details of
companies plan crewed demonstration flights in late 2018,
such arrangements remain to be explored.
followed by operational flights with crews starting in 2019.
According to the NASA Inspector General, the United
Commercial Use of the ISS
States has spent $87 billion since 1993 (in today’s dollars)
In an effort to increase use of the ISS by other federal
to build and operate the ISS, and is projected to spend an
agencies and the private sector, the NASA Authorization
additional $3 billion to $4 billion annually supporting ISS
Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-155, Sec. 507) designated the U.S.
operations through 2024. (NASA’s total budget in FY2018
portion of the ISS as a national laboratory. The NASA
is $20.7 billion.) For some in Congress, maximizing the
Authorization Act of 2010 subsequently directed NASA to
return on these investments may suggest extending the
contract with a nonprofit organization to manage the ISS
service life of the ISS beyond 2024. Return on investment
national laboratory (P.L. 111-267, Sec. 504). In 2011,
was a key factor in the congressional decisions to extend
NASA selected the Center for the Advancement of Science
operations through FY2020 (in 2010) and through FY2024
in Space (CASIS) as the ISS national laboratory managing
(in 2015). On the other hand, some stakeholders may see
organization.
the ongoing annual cost of ISS operations as a reason to
bring federal support to a close. For example, a 2014
From FY2012 through FY2017, CASIS issued 30
National Research Council report concluded that “a
solicitations and awarded 187 projects. In FY2017, more
continuation of flat budgets ... limits human spaceflight to
than 50% of payloads launched to the ISS national
[low Earth orbit] until after the end of the ISS program.” As
laboratory involved commercial entities. In addition,
noted above, service life extension would require
several facilities on the ISS are commercially operated. For
engineering analysis of safety and reliability issues, some of
example, Nanoracks LLC operates a system that can deploy
which is already under way, as well as agreements with
small satellites from the ISS, rather than by rocket launched
NASA’s international partner agencies.
directly from Earth, and Made In Space, Inc., operates an
onboard facility for additive manufacturing (“3-d
At some point, whether or not ISS operations continue past
printing”). A 2017 study by two University of Indiana
FY2024, the ISS will reach the end of its useful life. To
researchers found that ISS experiments are more likely to
mitigate the risk of creating hazardous orbital debris, U.S.
result in patents or publication in high-impact journals if
policy and international guidelines require that defunct
they have non-NASA principal investigators. Commercial
spacecraft be disposed of by one of three methods: direct
partners generally do not contribute to ISS operating costs,
retrieval, maneuvering to a storage orbit, or atmospheric
however, and in many cases, CASIS awards grants to
reentry. The ISS is far too large to retrieve directly. NASA
facilitate non-NASA projects. In January 2018, the NASA
analysis in 2010 determined that for safety, technical, and
Inspector General found that “without significant change,
cost reasons, atmospheric reentry would be preferable to
CASIS likely will fall short of advancing NASA’s goal for
“parking” in a storage orbit. However, whereas smaller
a commercial economy in low Earth orbit.”
objects burn up harmlessly in the atmosphere on reentry,
the ISS would require a controlled reentry to ensure a safe
Commercialize, Extend, or Terminate?
splashdown. The details of this option would require
As Congress evaluates the Administration’s proposal, it
additional planning and likely the development or
may wish to consider three options: commercializing all or
modification of a special de-orbit vehicle.
part of the ISS or its operations, extending the ISS’s service
life under continuing NASA management, or simply ending
Daniel Morgan, Specialist in Science and Technology
ISS operations. As required by the NASA Transition
Policy
Authorization Act of 2017 (P.L. 115-10, Sec. 303), NASA
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The International Space Station (ISS) and the Administration’s Proposal to End Direct NASA Funding by 2025
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