The heads of space agencies from Canada, Europe, Japan, Russia and the United States met at Kennedy Space Center, Fla. on March 2, 2006, to review International Space Station cooperation and endorse a revision to the station configuration and assembly sequence.

At today’s meeting, the Heads of Agency were also briefed on the status of ongoing International Space Station operations and flight hardware development activities across the partnership. The partners reaffirmed their agencies’ commitment to meet their mutual obligations, to implement six person crew operations in 2009 and an adequate number of shuttle flights to complete the assembly of the space station by the end of the decade.

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The partners also affirmed their plans to use a combination of transportation systems provided by Europe, Japan, Russia, and the United States to complete space station assembly in a timeframe that meets the needs of the partners and to ensure full use of the unique capabilities of the space station throughout its lifetime.

The International Space Station Heads of Agency expressed their appreciation for the outstanding work being conducted by the space station on-orbit crews and ground support personnel. They commended them for their creativity in making full use of available resources to operate the space station, prepare for assembly missions and carrying out scientific research aboard the station.

The uninterrupted flow of Russian vehicles, the outstanding performance of Canadarm2, the successful shuttle logistics flight, and the resourcefulness of all of the partners’ ground-based engineers, researchers and operations personnel have served to highlight the strength of the International Space Station partnership and the importance of international cooperation in space operations.

The partners look forward to the upcoming space shuttle flight of the STS-121 mission, a return to International Space Station assembly activity and a permanent crew of three.

They also noted the upcoming launch of key space station elements such as: three additional power trusses to support overall International Space Station needs and the needs of the partners; the European Space Agency Automated Transfer Vehicle; the U.S. Node 2; the European Space Agency Columbus Module; the Canadian two-armed Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator Dextre; the Japanese Experiment Module Kibo; the Russian Multipurpose Laboratory Module and the Japanese H-2 Transfer Vehicle.

These elements of the space station program will bring to fruition the partnership’s goal of operation and use of a permanently inhabited civil International Space Station.

For information about NASA, the International Space Station, the Space Shuttle, and agency programs on the Web, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/home


Revised Assembly Sequence

Date Assembly
Flight
Launch
Vehicle
Element(s)
No earlier than May 2006 ULF1.1 Discovery
STS-121
  • Return
    to Flight test mission
  • Multi-Purpose
    Logistics Module (MPLM)
  • Integrated Cargo
    Carrier (ICC)
  • Lightweight Multi-Purpose
    Experiment Support Structure Carrier (LMC)

No earlier than Aug. 2006 12A Atlantis
STS-115
  • Second
    port truss segment (ITS P3/P4)
  • Second set of solar arrays and batteries

Under
review
12A.1 U.S.
Orbiter
STS-116
  • Third
    port truss segment (ITS P5)
  • SPACEHAB
    single cargo module
  • Integrated Cargo Carrier (ICC)

Under
review
13A U.S.
Orbiter
STS-117
  • Second
    starboard truss segment (ITS S3/S4) with Photovoltaic Radiator (PVR)
  • Third set of solar arrays and batteries

Under
review
13A.1 U.S.
Orbiter
STS-118
  • SPACEHAB
    Single Cargo Module
  • Third
    starboard truss segment (ITS S5)
  • External Stowage Platform 3 (ESP3)

Under review ATV1 Ariane
5
  • European
    Automated Transfer Vehicle

Under review 10A U.S. Orbiter
STS-120
  • Node 2
  • Sidewall – Power and Data Grapple Fixture (PDGF)

Under review 1E U.S. Orbiter
  • Columbus European Laboratory Module
  • Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure – Non-Deployable (MPESS-ND)

Under review 1J/A U.S. Orbiter
  • Kibo Japanese Experiment Logistics Module – Pressurized Section (ELM-PS)
  • Spacelab Pallet – Deployable 1 (SLP-D1)

    with Canadian Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, Dextre

Under review 1J U.S. Orbiter
  • Kibo Japanese Experiment Module Pressurized Module (JEM-PM)
  • Japanese Remote Manipulator System (JEM RMS)

Under
review
15A U.S.
Orbiter
STS-119
  • Fourth
    starboard truss segment (ITS S6)
  • Fourth set of solar arrays and batteries

Under
review
ULF2 U.S.
Orbiter
  • Multi-Purpose
    Logistics Module (MPLM)

Under
review
3R Russian Proton
  • Multipurpose
    Laboratory Module with European Robotic Arm (ERA)

Under review 2J/A U.S. Orbiter
  • Kibo Japanese Experiment Module Exposed Facility (JEM EF)
  • Kibo Japanese Experiment Logistics Module – Exposed Section (ELM-ES)
  • Spacelab Pallet – Deployable 2 (SLP-D2)

Under
review
17A U.S.
Orbiter
  • Multi-Purpose
    Logistics Module (MPLM)
  • Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier (LMC)
  • Three crew quarters, galley, second treadmill (TVIS2), Crew Health Care System 2 (CHeCS 2)

Establish
Six Person Crew Capability
Under
review
HTV-1 H-IIA
  • Japanese H-II Transfer
    Vehicle

Under review ULF3 U.S. Orbiter
  • EXPRESS Logistics Carrier 1 (ELC1)
  • EXPRESS Logistics Carrier 2 (ELC2)

Under review 19A U.S. Orbiter
  • Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM)
  • Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier (LMC)

Under review *ULF4 U.S. Orbiter
  • EXPRESS Logistics Carrier 3 (ELC3)
  • EXPRESS Logistics Carrier 4 (ELC4)

Under
review
20A U.S.
Orbiter
  • Node
    3 with Cupola

Under review *ULF5 U.S. Orbiter
  • EXPRESS Logistics Carrier 5 (ELC5)
  • EXPRESS Logistics Carrier 1 (ELC1)

ISS
Assembly Complete
Under review 9R Russian Proton
  • Research Module

* Two shuttle-equivalent flights for contingency
Notes: Additional Progress and Soyuz flights for crew
transport, logistics and resupply are not listed.