Italian space agency ASI has agreed to co-operate with NASA on construction of a habitation module for the International Space Station (ISS). The US space agency had been forced to cancel its plans to build a habitation module to help eliminate a $4 billion overrun on the ISS budget.
NASA and ASI have signed a framework agreement to guide negotiations, which could lead to Italy building the module. Final agreement is hoped for later this year. The module would allow ISS crew size to be increased from the current complement of three astronauts to the seven who would be required for a full research programme to be implemented.
The habitation module would be larger than the three ISS logistics modules which Italy is already supplying. The first module, Leonardo, was carried to the ISS by the Space Shuttle in March. The second, Raffaello, was launched aboard the Shuttle Endeavour, on 19 April and the third, Donatello, is scheduled to be launched in September 2004.
Italy will "do its utmost to provide the resource that will be necessary to build the new module", says foreign minister Lamberto Dini. NASA has also asked its international partners to help build the rescue vehicle that is required if the crew size is increased.
Source: Flight International
