NASA to accelerate habitation module work for deep space missions with new US spending bill

The US Congress wants the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to move more quickly on developing a habitation module for future deep space explorations. An omnibus spending bill was recently passed in December directing NASA to accelerate work on a "habitation augmentation module."

The bill requires the space agency to spend at least US$55 million (AU$75 million) on the project to boost its exploration efforts. NASA has been working on the development of a habitation module over the last several months, which would be tested in cislunar space, the region of space near the moon, in the 2020s, SpaceNews reports.

The habitation module could be used for manned missions to Mars, which NASA aims to launch in the 2030s. The funding for the module would come from the Exploration Research and Development’s Advanced Exploration Systems programme, which received a budget of US$350 million (AU$480 million) in the bill.

The bill requires NASA to develop a prototype deep space habitation module “within the advanced exploration systems programme no later than 2018." NASA also needs to provide Congress a report within 180 days of the bill's enactment, showing the status of the programme and the funds.

No details were provided by NASA on how it will develop the module using the fund and its requirements. However, prior to the bill, NASA has already funded different industry studies aimed for habitation module concepts. The funding is under the agency’s Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships programme, or NextSTEP.

In March, NASA awarded contracts to Bigelow Aerospace, Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Orbital ATK to conduct studies about habitat designs. It has also provided NextSTEP contracts to Dynetics, Hamilton Sundstrand and Orbital Technologies Corp. to study specific module technologies like life support systems.

"We plan to leverage the output of those studies to shape our plan and then go to a next round," SpaceNews quoted Sam Scimemi, International Space Station director at NASA Headquarters. Those working on the NextSTEP studies have welcomed the bill that pushes faster work on developing a habitation module.

"We’re thrilled that Congress took the lead," said Mike Gold, director of D.C. operations and business growth for Bigelow Aerospace. "It is the missing piece of the human space exploration puzzle."

Bigelow Aerospace is set to install its prototype expandable module on the International Space Station in early 2016. The module could potentially be used to help build colonies on the moon and Mars, Space.com reported.

To date, NASA still needs to decide who will build the habitation module. Scimemi said the agency might build the habitation module internally.