Feb 3 1997
From The Space Library
Space News reported that the Italian Space Agency had decided not to participate in construction of the International Space Station (ISS) because of NASA's insistence that Italy meet previously established deadlines. The Italian firm Alenia Aerospazio had expressed interest in building, on behalf of Italy, two nodes, the pieces of hardware used to connect different sections of the orbiting laboratory. The Italian Space Agency had requested more time to investigate the feasibility of participating, after it determined that funding the $150 million project, solely in return for additional future use of the ISS, might strain its budget for other scientific projects. Gretchen W. McClain, Acting Director of Space Station Requirements, said that, although NASA regretted the loss of Italy's participation in the ISS, placing the project on hold while the Italian Space Agency made its decision would result in significant schedule shortfalls. The development highlighted the difficulty of fostering international participation and, at the same time, maintaining the target delivery date of the ISS.
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