NASA Extends ISS Cargo Transport Contract Until 2030

JAKARTA NASA has extended the contracts of three companies to continue providing cargo transportation to the International Space Station (ISS). This contract is extended until the end of the ISS.

In a procurement filing issued on November 8, quoted from Spacenews, NASA stated that a Commercial Resupply Service (CRS) 2 contract would be awarded to the same company. This contract expires in 2030.

The three companies, Northrop Grumman, Sierra Space, and SpaceX, first received CSR-2 contracts in 2016. The contract was supposed to expire in 2026 and NASA plans to select spacecraft from other service provider companies.

However, after seeking information and receiving responses from three different companies, NASA refused to choose another company. According to the space agency, none of the companies are eligible.

"There are no other CRS-2-certified visit rides in the market today to provide cargo resupply to the ISS," NASA said. "The extension of existing contracts is the most effective way to ensure the provision of this service is sustainable."

The three companies that initially wanted NASA to choose were Gravity, The Exploration Company, and GEPA Logistics. At the first company, NASA said that the response received from Gravity did not provide a description according to what NASA expected.

"The response does not provide a description of the comprehensive cargo services capable of reaching, installing, and leaving the ISS, but suggests the next-generation launch vehicles could take it to low Earth orbit," NASA said.

Unlike The Exploration Company, NASA feels that this company does not meet the requirements and a number of restrictions on CSR-2 contracts, while GEPA Logistics has no experience with cargo transportation in space.