Video: U.S. Chamber of Commerce Event on ISS and Gateway Commercialization
Keith’s note: Go to 36:50 for a question to Rick Leach from CASIS about their plans for space commercialization and to HEOMD AA Bill Gerstenmaier at 2:08:20 for a question about whether NASA thinks that it can still transfer the total cost of ISS operations to the private sector – as was their plan last year.
So did I understand Gerst correctly that the primary role of the Gateway is to serve as a communications relay and they can put it anywhere they need to to serve that role? Why would a function that has been supported by unmanned spacecraft since the early 1960s now have to be done by a manned mini station? It sounds like this has not been thought through.