NASA Plans ‘Continuous Heartbeat’ in Space After ISS Retirement

The International Space Station (ISS) has been home to astronauts for almost 30 years but the aging spacecraft is expected to retire at the end of the decade, leaving a huge gap in Earth’s descent. NASA hopes to fill this gap with a commercial version of the ISS. Until that happens, however, the space agency is insisting that humans stay in microgravity to stay on track to send astronauts to Mars.

NASA release the final “Low Earth Orbit Microgravity Strategy,” which outlines the need to send long-duration human missions into space after the retirement of the ISS. The space agency called its approach a “continuous heartbeat,” a seemingly odd term to describe the need for “long flights of six months to a year to reduce the risks of future missions to Mars,” NASA wrote. “Flying from 30 days to six months will also have limited benefits,” the space agency added.

The key to these services is the human element. “By transitioning from the (ISS) to future commercial space, NASA will remain stable and continuous in low-Earth space,” the report read. “This sustainability of human activities will enable NASA to reduce the risk of sending humans to Mars, maintain critical technology, maintain a stable orbit, continue to advance science, and continue to engage in trade with other nations.”

NASA and its partners plan to retire the ISS by 2030; the space station must re-enter Earth’s atmosphere where most of it will burn up. In 2021, the space agency launched its Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destinations program to create a successor to the ISS. NASA, however, is no longer in the business of building space stations. Instead, it wants to be a customer, helping its commercial partners build and operate space stations that astronauts can use.

Companies such as Axiom Space, Blue Origin, and Northrop Grumman hope to replace the ISS with their own models, but they may not be ready for another five years. Instead, NASA’s strategy in these middle ages is to maintain a continuous human presence in space through long-term missions to low Earth orbit using commercial spaceships. The mission’s main goal will be to continue scientific research in the microgravity environment, as well as human health research in space in preparation for future missions to the Moon and Mars.

“Through the (ISS), NASA has demonstrated that microgravity research is essential to advancing our knowledge of ourselves and our planet,” the report read. “As we approach the transition from space stations to commercial platforms in low-Earth orbit, NASA must allow the government to use these planets to advance research and development at various levels of the world that strengthen the economy and improve the quality of life here on Earth. . for all people.”

The new strategy also highlights the importance of “provider diversity,” meaning that NASA wants to rely on more than just SpaceX to get its crew and cargo into low Earth orbit. The space agency is still in the validation process for Boeing’s Starliner program following the failure of the plane this year.

The retirement of the ISS, and the next phase of the transition, reflects NASA’s shift to relying on commercial partners to stay in space.