Lessons Learned: Industrial Utilization of the ISS is Feasible — The German Industrial Utilization Preparation Programme

Abstract

An initiative of the German Space Agency (DLR) “Promotion of Industrial Users of ISS” (PIN) was launched in 1998. Its purpose is to develop both an industry-oriented marketplace for corporate ISS users in a sustainable fashion, on the one hand, and to prepare and provide assistance for concrete industrial ISS utilization projects on the other. Focused on the non-space industries’ point of view, the demonstration of possible benefits for industrial branches and companies has been given the highest priority in this initiative. The potential users have been addressed by a set of highly selective and tailor-made measures for the different industrial branches and companies.

Cooperation between industry, industry-related organizations, industry associations and chambers of commerce, as well as the first concrete industrial research and development projects for the utilization of ISS, have shown that a number of prerequisites are essential in order to realize industrial research on the ISS. An indispensable requirement for creating an environment compatible with the expectations of commercial customers is, e.g., the focus on branch- and/or company-specific topics aimed at possible benefits. Furthermore, a step-by-step approach should be provided, including both a complete set of precursor opportunities suitable for industrial approaches to scientific and technological questions and reliable criteria for possible cancellation of the project. Adopting these lessons learned one can state that industrial research and development on board the ISS is both possible and feasible.