In an endeavor to further its ties with the commercial sector and help nurture a strong “ space saving ” , NASA has said that it will soon make one of the docking embrasure on the International Space Station ( ISS ) available for private enterprises to attach their own modules .
herald the scheme in a White Houseblog mail , NASA decision maker Charles Bolden explained that collaboration with commerical businesses is likely to be key tocolonizing Mars , which is why the administration is now seeking newfangled room to offer business the chance to join in the great cosmic adventure .
As part of its Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships – or NextSTEP – opening , NASA put out asking for entropy ( RFI ) originally this year expect companies to send in ideas forhow they would usean ISS docking porthole if given the opportunity . understandably impressed with the entries , it now says it plans to start take a leak some of these visions a reality .
“ As a result of the responses , this fall , NASA will begin the process of providing companies with a potential opportunity to summate their own modules and other capableness to the International Space Station , ” explained Bolden .
At present tense , the docking port is interest by an inflatable mental faculty known as theBigelow Expandable Activity Module(BEAM ) , which was make by Las Vegas - based party Bigelow Aerospace and attached to the ISS back in April . Though not intended to be really used by astronaut , the attachment is nevertheless carry to pave the way for future privately - built habitable module , as it contains a serial publication of sensing element that will avail to supervise how it stomach up to the space environment .
With BEAM due to be detached from the ISS in 18 month , NASA now wants to give other companies the chance to get take , in the hope that the module they develop render them with the knowledge and experience to one day build blank space stations of their own .
NASA has yet to announced any detail of which society will be take to develop these modules , although it has revealed the identity element of six business organization that have been invited to construct Earth - based prototypes fordeep place habitatsthat could one twenty-four hours be used to house multitude on interplanetary voyage , as part of a freestanding NextSTEP initiative that was launched in 2014 .
