by Keith Cowing ©copyright 1996, Reston Communications

Note: See our 4 December Service Module update too.

NASA and contractor members of the RS IPT Team 0 were in Russia last week to discuss working a delay in the launch of Russia's Service Module (from April until December 1998) into the overall ISS schedule. Options under consideration include launching a very stripped down Service Module which would then be outfitted on-orbit.

Apparently, Energia's subcontractors have not been paid in a while - to the tune of $100 Million. Many of these subcontractors are not going to accept any new work until they are paid. One company apparently refuses to release hardware until they have been paid. Indeed, there is a fear among the Russians that some of these subcontractors might go out of business if funding is not available by the end of 1996. The company that produces the Service Module's Solar Arrays is supposedly in very bad financial shape. Energia has apprently been been able to prevent some closures, but this can't go on forever.

As such, given these severe financial strains, there is some concern among the Russians that accelerating the use of Phase 1 money to fund Service Module development would be quickly drained as the subcontractors would likely use the payment to take care of outstanding debts. As such, this begs the question of where the additional funds are going to come from - since more money is obviously going to be needed.

The schedule currently under consideration (which assumes that money is forthcoming by the end of 1996) is as follows:

Assembly complete: August 1997
KIS Testing: September 1997 to March 1998
Arrival at Baikonur: April to December 1998
SM Launch: December 98