{"id":22307,"date":"2022-02-02T22:27:30","date_gmt":"2022-02-02T14:27:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/nasa-didnt-select-spacex-relativity-and-others-for-its-commercial-space-station-program-heres-why\/"},"modified":"2022-02-02T22:27:30","modified_gmt":"2022-02-02T14:27:30","slug":"nasa-didnt-select-spacex-relativity-and-others-for-its-commercial-space-station-program-heres-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/nasa-didnt-select-spacex-relativity-and-others-for-its-commercial-space-station-program-heres-why\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA didn\u2019t select SpaceX, Relativity, and others for its commercial space station program; here\u2019s why"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"img-border featured-image\">\n<p>\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"100%\" src=\"https:\/\/googleads.g.doubleclick.net\/pagead\/ads?gdpr=0&amp;us_privacy=1YNN&amp;gpp=DBABL~BVQqAAAAAg&amp;gpp_sid=7&amp;client=ca-pub-7125080057269629&amp;output=html&amp;h=280&amp;num_ads=1&amp;adk=2072073738&amp;adf=712772469&amp;abgtt=7&amp;w=775&amp;fwrn=4&amp;fwrnh=100&amp;lmt=1783322124&amp;rafmt=1&amp;armr=3&amp;sem=mc&amp;pwprc=4018519472&amp;ad_type=text_image&amp;format=775x280&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fspaceexplored.com%2F2022%2F02%2F01%2Fnasa-didnt-select-spacex-relativity-and-others-for-its-commercial-space-station-program-heres-why%2F&amp;host=ca-host-pub-5506057612223327&amp;fwr=0&amp;pra=3&amp;rh=194&amp;rw=774&amp;rpe=1&amp;resp_fmts=3&amp;asro=0&amp;aimartd=4&amp;aieuf=1&amp;aicrs=1&amp;fa=27&amp;dt=1783322124802&amp;bpp=3&amp;bdt=3524&amp;idt=-M&amp;shv=r20260701&amp;mjsv=m202606290101&amp;ptt=9&amp;saldr=aa&amp;abxe=1&amp;cookie=ID%3Dee20989454fe3a9b%3AT%3D1783311432%3ART%3D1783321987%3AS%3DALNI_Ma_zHTC64Egiec_8HQYi2Rx5xEg8w&amp;gpic=UID%3D000014159597bb56%3AT%3D1783311432%3ART%3D1783321987%3AS%3DALNI_MaDaRPwkK2fSZM7WKlqA_MSZIQskQ&amp;eo_id_str=ID%3De1bb4dd402f9f648%3AT%3D1783311432%3ART%3D1783321987%3AS%3DAA-Afjbi-FNlbfsUQCZWSNVtf2-j&amp;prev_fmts=0x0%2C336x280&amp;nras=2&amp;correlator=5039396202045&amp;frm=20&amp;pv=1&amp;u_tz=480&amp;u_his=1&amp;u_h=960&amp;u_w=1707&amp;u_ah=912&amp;u_aw=1707&amp;u_cd=24&amp;u_sd=1.5&amp;dmc=8&amp;adx=96&amp;ady=1193&amp;biw=1421&amp;bih=637&amp;scr_x=0&amp;scr_y=0&amp;eid=95395661%2C95393484&amp;oid=2&amp;pvsid=3015020454910213&amp;tmod=1712058349&amp;uas=0&amp;nvt=1&amp;fc=1408&amp;brdim=133%2C96%2C133%2C96%2C1707%2C0%2C1441%2C720%2C1438%2C637&amp;vis=1&amp;rsz=%7C%7Cs%7C&amp;abl=NS&amp;fu=128&amp;bc=31&amp;bz=1&amp;pgls=CAk.&amp;ifi=3&amp;uci=a!3&amp;btvi=2&amp;fsb=1&amp;dtd=38\" data-google-container-id=\"a!3\" tabindex=\"0\" title=\"Advertisement\" aria-label=\"Advertisement\" data-load-complete=\"true\" data-google-query-id=\"COWj0b3AvZUDFV7wTAIdItY6KA\"><\/iframe><\/ins><\/p>\n<p><span id=\"more-27572\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In total, 11 companies bid for the funds to develop their version of a commercial space station. However, many were not selected due to either technical or business management reasons. Below is the list of companies that bid for NASA\u2019s Commerical LEO Destination project:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Nanoracks<\/li>\n<li>Space Villages Inc.<\/li>\n<li>Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation<\/li>\n<li>Blue Origin, LLC (alongside Sierra Space)<\/li>\n<li>Orbital Assembly Corporation<\/li>\n<li>Hamon Industries<\/li>\n<li>ThinkOrbital Inc.<\/li>\n<li>DEHAS Limited<\/li>\n<li>Maverick Space Systems Inc.<\/li>\n<li>Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX); and<\/li>\n<li>Relativity Space Inc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hamon Industries and DEHAS Limited were disqualified in the acceptance screening which saw over fundamental criteria. After that, a panel looked over the remaining nine bidders and selected Nanoracks, Blue Origin\/Sierra Space, and Northrop Grumman, here\u2019s why the others weren\u2019t chosen.<\/p>\n<p><ins data-ad-format=\"auto\" class=\"adsbygoogle adsbygoogle-noablate\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7125080057269629\" data-adsbygoogle-status=\"done\" style=\"display: block; margin: auto; background-color: transparent; height: 0px;\" data-ad-status=\"unfilled\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"aswift_3\" name=\"aswift_3\" style=\"left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; border: 0px; width: 775px; height: 0px; min-height: auto; max-height: none; min-width: auto; max-width: none;\" sandbox=\"allow-forms allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation\" width=\"775\" height=\"0\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/googleads.g.doubleclick.net\/pagead\/ads?gdpr=0&amp;us_privacy=1YNN&amp;gpp=DBABL~BVQqAAAAAg&amp;gpp_sid=7&amp;client=ca-pub-7125080057269629&amp;output=html&amp;h=280&amp;num_ads=1&amp;adk=2072073738&amp;adf=2061058783&amp;abgtt=7&amp;w=775&amp;fwrn=4&amp;fwrnh=100&amp;lmt=1783322124&amp;rafmt=1&amp;armr=3&amp;sem=mc&amp;pwprc=4018519472&amp;ad_type=text_image&amp;format=775x280&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fspaceexplored.com%2F2022%2F02%2F01%2Fnasa-didnt-select-spacex-relativity-and-others-for-its-commercial-space-station-program-heres-why%2F&amp;host=ca-host-pub-5506057612223327&amp;fwr=0&amp;pra=3&amp;rh=194&amp;rw=774&amp;rpe=1&amp;resp_fmts=3&amp;asro=0&amp;aimartd=4&amp;aieuf=1&amp;aicrs=1&amp;fa=27&amp;dt=1783322124802&amp;bpp=2&amp;bdt=3524&amp;idt=2&amp;shv=r20260701&amp;mjsv=m202606290101&amp;ptt=9&amp;saldr=aa&amp;abxe=1&amp;cookie=ID%3Dee20989454fe3a9b%3AT%3D1783311432%3ART%3D1783321987%3AS%3DALNI_Ma_zHTC64Egiec_8HQYi2Rx5xEg8w&amp;gpic=UID%3D000014159597bb56%3AT%3D1783311432%3ART%3D1783321987%3AS%3DALNI_MaDaRPwkK2fSZM7WKlqA_MSZIQskQ&amp;eo_id_str=ID%3De1bb4dd402f9f648%3AT%3D1783311432%3ART%3D1783321987%3AS%3DAA-Afjbi-FNlbfsUQCZWSNVtf2-j&amp;prev_fmts=0x0%2C336x280%2C775x280&amp;nras=3&amp;correlator=5039396202045&amp;frm=20&amp;pv=1&amp;u_tz=480&amp;u_his=1&amp;u_h=960&amp;u_w=1707&amp;u_ah=912&amp;u_aw=1707&amp;u_cd=24&amp;u_sd=1.5&amp;dmc=8&amp;adx=96&amp;ady=2207&amp;biw=1421&amp;bih=637&amp;scr_x=0&amp;scr_y=0&amp;eid=95395661%2C95393484&amp;oid=2&amp;pvsid=3015020454910213&amp;tmod=1712058349&amp;uas=0&amp;nvt=1&amp;fc=1408&amp;brdim=133%2C96%2C133%2C96%2C1707%2C0%2C1441%2C720%2C1438%2C637&amp;vis=1&amp;rsz=%7C%7Cs%7C&amp;abl=NS&amp;fu=128&amp;bc=31&amp;bz=1&amp;pgls=CAk.&amp;ifi=4&amp;uci=a!4&amp;btvi=3&amp;fsb=1&amp;dtd=39\" data-google-container-id=\"a!4\" tabindex=\"0\" title=\"Advertisement\" aria-label=\"Advertisement\" data-load-complete=\"true\" data-google-query-id=\"CPHQ0b3AvZUDFbQmewcdqNE2gA\"><\/iframe><\/ins><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-spacex-s-modified-hls-starship\">SpaceX\u2019s modified HLS Starship<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SpaceX bid its Human Landing System Starship variant to the CLD project, a bold move. But NASA didn\u2019t seem impressed with this idea. At the same time, the agency praised SpaceX for its history in building successful rockets and spacecraft, having proven safety and risk management, and technical know-how. However, NASA thinks Starship, without some significant changes, doesn\u2019t sound like a suitable space station replacement.<\/p>\n<p>\t<span class=\"outbrain-ad-label\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t<script type=\"text\/plain\">\n\t\t\twindow.adSlotsConfig = window.adSlotsConfig || [];<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\tadSlotsConfig.push( {\n\t\t\t\tslotID: '\/1049447\/Outbrain',\n\t\t\t\tslotName: 'div-gpt-ad-outbrain-ad-27572',\n\t\t\t\tsizes: [300, 250],\n\t\t\t\tslotPosition: 'mid_article'\n\t\t\t} );\n\t\t<\/script><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image wp-block-image--obfuscated\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/themes\/ninetofive\/dist\/images\/default-spaceexplored-related-guide.png\" alt=\"Site default logo image\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It also sounds like SpaceX didn\u2019t put a whole lot of effort into this proposal, as NASA states \u201ca lack of definition on its CLD concept\u201d and \u201cexternal payload accommodations,\u201d then \u201ca lack of detail for scaling up [the life support] from a short to long-duration capability.\u201d NASA also wasn\u2019t too pleased with SpaceX relying on the success of the HLS program.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This bid looks more like a \u201cbecause we could\u201d rather than a \u201cbecause we should\u201d case, although we aren\u2019t sure of that. No one doubts SpaceX\u2019s ability to develop a capable LEO space station, but it is either too confident in its Starship vehicle or is just poking around to see what the industry is willing to use it for.<\/p>\n<p><ins data-ad-format=\"auto\" class=\"adsbygoogle adsbygoogle-noablate\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7125080057269629\" data-adsbygoogle-status=\"done\" style=\"display: block; margin: auto; background-color: transparent; height: 280px;\"><\/ins><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-relativity-just-missing-the-mark-on-a-pretty-cool-sounding-concept\">Relativity just missing the mark on a pretty cool sounding concept<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The up-and-coming launch provider pitched building a space station that would include a returnable and reusable lab portion. However, while it gained praise for its simple life support system for short-duration missions, NASA was not thrilled with a lack of planning for maturing these systems for more extended missions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Overall, the station sounded too small and not built up enough to accommodate what NASA was looking for. Overall it didn\u2019t sound like a bad station, just not the right one for NASA. You could argue the commercial market might want a small, short-stay station for its research versus an ISS replacement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Relativity also failed on the business planning side, failing to present NASA with a business strategy and requiring the development of a launch vehicle, which<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> was deemed outside the CLD\u2019s scope.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-they-were-not-the-worse-of-the-pack-however\">They were not the worse of the pack however<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other companies like ThinkOrbital, Maverick, and Orbital Assembly Corporation got even worse beatings from the NASA panel, but I wouldn\u2019t bet against anyone that wasn\u2019t selected. The market for commercial stations is growing, and NASA\u2019s CLD isn\u2019t a guarantee of full funding yet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can download and read the full letter detailing the reasons for each company\u2019s denial or acceptance of the award below.<\/p>\n<p><object data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!state.hasPdfPreview\" class=\"wp-block-file__embed\" data=\"https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/01\/Selectionstatement_CDFF_final_Signed.pdf\" type=\"application\/pdf\" style=\"width:100%;height:600px\" aria-label=\"Embed of Embed of Selectionstatement_CDFF_final_Signed..\"><\/object>Selectionstatement_CDFF_final_SignedDownload<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"enjoy-reading-space-explored\">Enjoy reading Space Explored?<\/h3>\n<p><ins data-ad-format=\"auto\" class=\"adsbygoogle adsbygoogle-noablate\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7125080057269629\" data-adsbygoogle-status=\"done\" style=\"display: block; margin: auto; background-color: transparent; height: 280px;\"><\/ins><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In total, 11 companies bid for the funds to develop their version of a commercial space station. However, many were not selected due to either technical or business management reasons. Below is the list of companies that bid for NASA\u2019s Commerical LEO Destination project: Nanoracks Space Villages Inc. Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation Blue Origin, LLC [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22307"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22307"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22307\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}