WASHINGTON, 8 (IRIN)
The U.S. government has approved Wednesday an extension to keep the International Space Station (ISS) in orbit at least four years until 2024, according to the program director of American spaceflight agency, Bill Gerstenmaier, that has entered into this “great gift” from the administration of Barack Obama.
Washington’s decision is a relief for NASA, which thus may further exploiting the potential in trade and research of the ISS. The alternative to extending the mission was preparing a plan to de-orbit the station in about six years.
Gerstenmaierstressed that the news is a change in terms of “investment”, especially in the “trade area”, as companies have more years ahead to raise and implement programs on the ISS, according to the newspaper ‘The Washington Post’.
Now is the remaining members of the NASA Space Station, which include the European Union, Russia, Japan and Canada Space Agency, they also decide whether they continue their involvement, which could still be delayed several years, as acknowledged Gerstenmaier. However, the head of human spaceflight has already warned that NASA will even alone.
ISS activity poses to the U.S. agency annual costs of $ 3,000 million (2,200 million euros d). Half of this money is for the transport of goods and crews to the station, which orbits about 400 miles above Earth.
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