Since 2011, the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, Inc. (CASIS) has managed the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory through a Cooperative Agreement with NASA. This week, NASA announced the extension of this Cooperative Agreement for CASIS to manage the ISS National Lab through 2027.
The ISS National Lab was established through an act of U.S. Congress with the intention of opening access and opportunity for researchers to leverage the unique space-based environment of the orbiting platform to bring value to humanity and enable a robust market in low Earth orbit.
To date, more than 500 sponsored payloads, representing more than 600 investigations, have launched to the space station while CASIS has managed the ISS National Lab. Additionally, more than $260 million in external, non-NASA funding, including funding from other government agencies and private-sector companies, has been committed in support of ISS National Lab-sponsored investigations.
The ISS National Lab has also been instrumental in supporting technology development and validation of commercial facilities onboard the orbiting laboratory. Upon assuming management of the ISS National Lab in 2011, there were two commercially owned and operated facilities on station. Now, there are 24 commercial facilities available to researchers through the ISS National Lab that are owned and operated by Commercial Service Providers. The availability of these facilities furthers business models in space while providing additional research capabilities that lead to breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity. To date, close to $1.8 billion in cumulative funding has been raised by startup companies following ISS National Lab-sponsored flight projects.
“We thank NASA for extending this Cooperative Agreement with CASIS as managers of the ISS National Lab through 2027,” said Ray Lugo, CASIS chief executive officer. “The extension of this Cooperative Agreement demonstrates confidence from our partners at NASA in our organization’s ability to manage this critical public-service enterprise for our nation. As an organization, we are incredibly proud of the accomplishments that have been made onboard the space station during our tenure overseeing the ISS National Lab, and we look forward to working with NASA and the burgeoning space community as we seek innovative solutions that will further the decade of results on this one-of-a-kind research laboratory.”
To learn more about the ISS National Lab and the science it supports, please visit www.issnationallab.org.
