Feds announce strategy to build a ‘service station’ in space

The White House wants the United States to create facilities that would make it possible to fuel, repair, transport, and build things in space.

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy last month released a National In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM) Implementation Plan that could open new possibilities for U.S. commercial industry and American workers to do more complex work outside the earth’s gravity.

As a statement from the White House said, “Projects like the Hubble Space Telescope and the International Space Station were assembled in space by both humans and robots. The era of in-space servicing and assembly is new and growing – and the potential is unbounded.”

The plan envisions ISAM capabilities that will work with government and corporate space organizations. They will provide services to increase satellite lifetimes; move, tug, or deorbit satellites to prevent the debris spread that occurs when satellites break up as they reenter the atmosphere; inspect satellites for damage; maintain, refuel, and upgrade existing satellites; and build and operate larger, more complex systems in space.

This is particularly important since space systems today must be engineered to withstand the severe launch environment.

Such a capability would fill a huge need. There is currently no practical way to make complex repairs to satellites or other orbiting bodies. When such work has been performed in the past, it has taken years of planning and repeated, expensive launches. For example, five different repair missions between 1993 and 2009 were necessary to extend the useful life of the Hubble Space Telescope.

Andrew Rush, president and CEO of Redwire, a leader in space infrastructure, and a long-time advocate for ISAM, recently wrote about the promise of such in-space capability. 

“ISAM has the potential to expand American civil, national security, and commercial leadership in space,” he wrote in a SpaceNews column. “Because of first-of-their-kind investments and accomplishments in the last decade, America is poised to realize the critical benefits of ISAM. … The future of space will be driven by in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing. The countries and companies that master ISAM and leverage its benefits will dominate the space arena for decades to come.” 

Methuselah Foundation has generally focused on extending human life on earth, but we understand that some of those longer lives will be spent traveling in space.  We believe that many technologies that make space travel possible will improve life on this planet.  We’re excited to see us take the next steps in space.