Report of NASA’s Top Management and Performance Challenges, OIG
“Challenge 3: Sustaining a Human Presence in Low Earth Orbit
NASA’s plan for the ISS, as detailed in the President’s FY 2021 budget request, envisions new commercial facilities and platforms in low Earth orbit. This plan includes a request for $150 million for commercialization of low Earth orbit. The effectiveness of this plan while continuing to provide substantial funding to maintain and operate the ISS remains to be seen, particularly with regard to the feasibility of fostering increased commercial activity in low Earth orbit. It is clear that the ISS will require significant federal funding beyond 2025, given the current limited commercial market interest in assuming the Station’s operational costs. To the point, an independent review conducted in 2017 concluded that the profitability of a commercial platform like the ISS in low Earth orbit is questionable and will be highly dependent upon generating sufficient revenue from commercial activities and keeping operation costs low.”

Keith’s note: Odds are that the new NASA Administrator will be dealing with this next Spring/Summer.

Biologist, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA Space Biologist and Payload integrator, Editor of NASAWatch.com and Astrobiology.com, Lapsed climber, Explorer, Synaesthete, Former Challenger Center board member...

4 replies on “OIG Announces Review Of NASA's LEO Commercialization Activities”

  1. Keith , what does this mean ? is it a threat to commercial space which has been very successful ? back to a socialist way of the government taking back control and NASA doing everything inhouse again?

      1. It’s worth repeating. At the last OPAG meeting, there was the usual presentation on what’s going on at headquarters and in the Science Mission Directorate in general. That included a recently completed review by the OIG. The speaker correctly felt the need to tell people not to worry, and remind them the OIG does review all parts of NASA on a semi-regular basis.

  2. Here’s what Paul Martin, NASA Inspector General said about ISS commercialization:

    “Candidly, the scant commercial interest shown in the station over its nearly 20 years of operation gives us pause about the agency’s current plans,”

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