Gutting COTS – Update

NASA eyes buying Japan’s cargo spacecraft, Reuters

NASA eyes purchasing Japan’s HTV spacecraft, Daily Yomiuri

“In April, NASA started a project to assist U.S. companies’ development of a spacecraft to succeed the space shuttle. However, it is uncertain whether it will be possible for the successor vehicle to be developed in the two years left before the space shuttle is to be scrapped, prompting NASA to discuss buying foreign spacecraft. The U.S. Congress has a psychological resistance to buying Russian spacecraft, and the ATV’s transport capacity is smaller than that of the HTV. NASA, therefore, is considering ordering HTVs.”

Editor’s note: If this is true, it is clear that Mike Griffin is going out of his way to undermine COTS and the American companies that seek to provide these services to the ISS. And where is the money going to come from to buy these flights? I guess we can just call this J-COTS from now on.

Editor’s Update: NASA released the following statement;

NASA Statement on Inaccurate Reports About Japanese Cargo Services

“Contrary to news reports, NASA has not officially or unofficially been discussing the purchase of H-II Transfer Vehicles (HTV) — uninhabited resupply cargo ships for the space station — from the Japanese Space Agency, or JAXA.”