NASA has announced the discontinuation of its ambitious $2 billion project, the On-orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing 1 (OSAM-1) mission, aimed at refueling old satellites in orbit. The decision comes after an independent review revealed ongoing technical, cost, and schedule challenges that hindered the project's progress.
The OSAM-1 project, in development since 2015, was intended to extend the lifespan of satellites not originally designed for refueling by utilizing a robotic arm named the Space Infrastructure Dexterous Robot (SPIDER). This robotic arm was envisioned to perform tasks such as cutting open fuel hatches, releasing restraints, and unscrewing fuel caps while in space.
One of the primary objectives of the OSAM-1 mission was to refuel the Landsat 7 satellite, launched in 1999, which lacked in-orbit refueling capabilities. However, the evolving landscape of the space industry, with a shift towards satellites already equipped for refueling, rendered the OSAM-1 project potentially obsolete.
Despite collaborations with contractors like Maxar Technologies, the project faced significant setbacks. An audit report in October 2023 criticized Maxar for poor performance, leading to delays in delivering the spacecraft and robotic arm to NASA. The report highlighted issues such as underestimation of project complexity, lack of technical expertise, and failure to meet NASA's standards.
The total cost of the OSAM-1 mission, initially estimated at $753 million, escalated to $2.05 billion by 2022, with projections of further budget overruns. NASA emphasized its commitment to supporting the project workforce at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, where approximately 450 staff and contractors were involved in the OSAM-1 mission.
In response to the cancellation, NASA stated plans to continue supporting the project workforce through fiscal year 2024. Both NASA and Maxar Technologies have yet to provide comments on the project's termination.
