Extension of Space Station Until at Least 2020 is a Victory for Sane Use of Taxpayer Funds.
The Administration’s decision to extend operational support for the International Space Station (ISS) until at least 2020 is a much needed boost for the American space industry. “The commitment to support the Space Station and focus on commercial services is exactly the message we in the private sector needed,” explained managing director Jeffrey Manber.
NanoRacks has developed a low-cost research platform, known as the NanoRacks Platform, for utilization of small “MiniLab” payloads on the U.S. National Laboratory on ISS. The standardized MiniLabs, based on the CubeSat form factor, will allow for low cost use of the unique environment of space. Each NanoRacks platform can hold up to 16 MiniLabs, weighing no more than 1 kilogram each, for use by researchers, commercial customers and even schools and universities.
The first NanoRacks Platform will be deployed permanently on the International Space Station via the mid-March shuttle mission. To read more, download NanoRacks Release 02 NanoRacks Applauds Administration-Space-Policy (23.6k pdf)