THE SPACE STATION RESUPPLY FLEET

Introduction

Spacecraft from four different space agencies currently service the International Space Station (ISS), each carrying out different tasks. NASA (USA), Roscosmos (Russia), the European Space Agency (ESA) and JAXA (Japan) all launch supplies and equipment to the orbiting outpost, but only NASA and Roscosmos have the capability to ferry astronauts and cosmonauts to-and-from low-Earth orbit (LEO).

Unfortunately for NASA, the space shuttle fleet is set to retire in 2010, and the replacement human-rated space vehicle (the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle, pictured above) is facing uncertainty as to when it will be ready for launch. After 2010 the Russian Soyuz spacecraft will be the only manned taxi-ride into space. However, we could also see the emergence of a burgeoning US commercial spaceflight capability.

Now that JAXA has carried out its first delivery service to the ISS, let's examine the current and future space station re-supply fleet...

Image: Artist impression of the Constellation Program's Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle approaching the ISS (NASA)