As the bells were ringing and people began toasting the New Year, the folks at NASA were still hard at work. Late in the day, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced the current presidential administration’s plans to continue a collaborative partnership aboard the ISS through at least 2030, according to an announcement by NASA.
“The International Space Station is a beacon of peaceful international scientific collaboration and for more than 20 years has returned enormous scientific, educational, and technological developments to benefit humanity. I’m pleased that the Biden-Harris Administration has committed to continuing station operations through 2030,” Nelson said.
“The United States’ continued participation on the ISS will enhance innovation and competitiveness, as well as advance the research and technology necessary to send the first woman and first person of color to the Moon under NASA’s Artemis program and pave the way for sending the first humans to Mars,” Nelson continued. “As more and more nations are active in space, it’s more important than ever that the United States continues to lead the world in growing international alliances and modeling rules and norms for the peaceful and responsible use of space.”
This announcement comes after months and, for some, years of speculation about the future of ISS. The international research laboratory floats some 250 miles above the earth’s surface and was build and is supported by a coalition of countries and space organizations: Europe (ESA, European Space Agency), Japan (JAXA, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Canada (CSA, Canadian Space Agency), Russia (State Space Corporation Roscosmos), and of course NASA itself.
However, the news also lands among rising tensions between the U.S. and Russia – both on earth and in space, thanks to a recent direct-ascent anti-satellite (ASAT) test that created a field of debris that threatened the station. While it’s uncertain how these dynamics will play out in coming months, Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin were reported to have conducted a successful diplomatic call yesterday. The primary focus of their conversation was undoubtedly about the massing of military forces on the Russia-Ukraine border, but perhaps ISS was a brief talking point hence the particular timing of this announcement on the last day of the year.
In any event, it’s good news for those who appreciate and support space science. NASA astronauts work in collaboration with astronauts and cosmonauts from partner nations to conduct research to help solve earth problems and prepare for eventual missions to other parts of the solar system like the Moon and Mars. This commitment doesn’t guarantee support if the presidential administration changes, but NASA’s consistent bi-partisan support suggests that we can expect to see astronauts working peacefully alongside cosmonauts through at least the next few years.
