NASA has terminated the On-orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing 1 project in response to an in-depth independent review of the program.
The space agency on Friday cited continued challenges in technical, financial and collaborative aspects of the project as the reason for the shutdown.
NASA mentioned that it failed to secure a committed partner for OSAM-1 due to persisting technical and scheduling obstacles, as well as the sector’s increasing shift away from the practice of refueling unprepared spacecraft.
The project’s management team has notified Congress of the decision and is planning an organized shutdown, from sensitive hardware disposal to pursuit of alternative uses of the components and technologies.
The agency’s leaders are formulating strategies to address the workforce impact of the OSAM-1 cancellation at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.
