Private Space Stations Are Coming (and Soon)

Since construction began in 1998, The International Space Station (ISS) has served as the essential platform where multiple countries have collaborated to support scientific research and other activities requiring the unique attributes of humans in space.

- Steve Broback

The ISS era is scheduled to come to an end in 2024, although it is hoped that congressional funding can extend this deadline to 2030.

Regardless of funding, the harsh environment that the station is exposed to and the accumulated stresses of decades of use means that a new space station needs to be put into place — and soon. Without an operating space station, the work needed for the United States and key partners to explore deep space will essentially grind to a halt.

Fortunately, a myriad of options are under development, and for the first time, all of them are commercial ventures. NASA is supporting many of these commercial partners financially, but no purely-governmental station is in the works. So far, NASA has awarded grants of $425.6 million, divided between Nanoracks LLC, of Houston, Blue Origin of Kent, Washington, and Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation of Dulles, Virginia.