Bolden: Sequester will force us to renegotiate the CRS contracts

[manboy]

I felt this deserved its own thread.

“I’ll have to renegotiate those contracts. We won’t fly the number of missions that we have. Right now we’re flying 20 commercial cargo missions to the International Space Station over the next five years for three-point-some-odd billion dollars, an incredible value to the nation. I can’t carry that out under sequester.” - April 25th, 2013

http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/asd_04_29_2013_p04-01-574140.xml

http://www.citizensinspace.org/2013/04/will-nasa-cut-commercial-resupply-services/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=will-nasa-cut-commercial-resupply-services

[QuantumG]

It kinda puts ISS extension to 2028 in perspective, doesn't it?

[jongoff]

It kinda puts ISS extension to 2028 in perspective, doesn't it?

I'm not sure I see the connection. Sequester was applied across the board at what around 5%ish? Most likely that means they'll stretch things out so they lose 1-2 flights out of the 20 over the next five years. Possibly a little more. Its not like extending ISS to 2028 involves some massive increase in spending--it involves inertia, which is what Congress does best.

~Jon

[deltaV]

I wonder if they'll cancel or delay SpaceX flights, Orbital flights, or both. SpaceX flights are better in most ways, i.e. cheaper, more upmass, have unpressurized upmass, and have pressurized downmass, but Orbital has a lot more pressurized volume up and down (disposal).

[Jim]

I wonder if they'll cancel or delay SpaceX flights, Orbital flights, or both. SpaceX flights are better in most ways, i.e. cheaper, more upmass, have unpressurized upmass, and have pressurized downmass, but Orbital has a lot more pressurized volume up and down (disposal).

Most up volume is needed for station support.

[QuantumG]

It kinda puts ISS extension to 2028 in perspective, doesn't it?

I'm not sure I see the connection.

It's hard to argue for "full utilization" of the ISS if you can't even get the required amount of cargo there.