Commercial space stations

Also known as Commercial LEO Destinations, CLDC, Private space stations, Post-ISS stations

Privately built stations in low Earth orbit are planned to take over from the International Space Station, which NASA plans to retire around 2030. No commercial station has launched yet, and the NASA procurement that would fund follow-on work had not awarded contracts when these sources were checked.

Research and prototypesProposedReviewed 21 Oct 2026
AI illustration · Illustrative scene, not a photograph of the specific device or experiment.

In plain language

For many years the International Space Station (ISS) has been the main laboratory where astronauts live and work in orbit. The station is government-owned, and NASA plans to retire it around 2030. NASA wants privately owned and operated stations in low Earth orbit to take over that work, and it would buy services from them, such as crew time and research space, rather than owning the hardware.

Several companies are designing stations that would fly on their own, away from the ISS. Some plans start with a module attached to the ISS and then separate from it, as Axiom Space plans to do. These are still plans. No private station has launched, and the dates have already moved. The status of some named projects could not be confirmed from the official sources reviewed for this profile.

Technical explanation

NASA's programme has moved through phases. The 2025 programme page describes Phase 1 Space Act Agreements, which NASA signed in 2021 with Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman and Starlab, and a 2020 contract with Axiom Space for at least one habitable module attached to the ISS. Northrop Grumman later withdrew from its agreement in 2023. The same page describes Phase 2 as funded Space Act Agreements with three-year base periods, optional milestones up to five years, and payments tied to completed milestones. Minimum milestones include critical design review readiness and an initial in-space crewed demonstration.

NASA's July 2026 draft plan proposes a different approach. NASA said it intends to award firm-fixed-price, multi-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts and to select two or more contractors for early development, with later work handled through competitive task orders. NASA's procurement page lists the final RFP as released on 9 October 2026, with proposals planned for 8 December 2026 and contract award planned for spring 2027. The page labels its milestone schedule as preliminary.

Design and schedule details differ by project. Airbus states that Starlab is currently scheduled to launch in 2029 on SpaceX Starship and is designed for a crew of four, with temporary accommodation for up to eight astronauts. Axiom's revised assembly sequence sends its Payload, Power and Thermal Module to the ISS first, with departure possible as early as 2028, according to NASA. Vast's Haven-1 is reported as no earlier than the first quarter of 2027. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in June 2026 that historical data suggest development might take longer than planned, and that NASA had not assessed the likelihood or duration of a gap in human presence in low Earth orbit.

What the evidence says

Each statement is typed by the strength of its evidence and linked to the source that supports it.

Demonstrated Shown in a published experiment, test or shipping product.

NASA's programme page lists a 2020 contract with Axiom Space for at least one habitable module attached to the ISS, and 2021 Space Act Agreements with Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman and Starlab. Northrop Grumman later withdrew from its agreement in 2023.

Sources: [1] · Phase 1 agreements section

GAO reported in June 2026 that NASA had not finalised its acquisition approach as of May 2026, had not assessed the likelihood or duration of a gap in human presence in low Earth orbit, and that historical data suggest developing commercial stations might take longer than planned.

Sources: [4] · What GAO Found

Proposed A design or plan that has not yet been built or tested.

NASA plans to transition from the International Space Station to commercially owned and operated stations as the ISS nears the end of its operational life in 2030.

Sources: [1] · ISS retirement section

NASA's July 2026 draft plan intends to select two or more contractors for early development of commercial low Earth orbit destinations, under firm-fixed-price, multi-award contracts.

Sources: [2] · Phase 2 plan · medium confidence

NASA's procurement page lists the final RFP for the Commercial Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Destination Contract (CLDC) as released on 9 October 2026, with industry proposals planned for 8 December 2026 and contract award planned for spring 2027. The page labels this schedule preliminary.

Sources: [3] · Milestone schedule table · medium confidence

Vast says its Haven-1 station will launch no earlier than the first quarter of 2027, after an earlier expectation of a 2026 launch.

Sources: [5] · Opening paragraphs · medium confidence

NASA says Axiom's revised assembly sequence sends the Payload, Power and Thermal Module to the ISS first, and that the module could depart the station as early as 2028.

Sources: [6] · Announcement text · medium confidence

Airbus states that Starlab is currently scheduled to launch in 2029 on SpaceX Starship, and that it is designed for a crew of four and can temporarily accommodate up to eight astronauts.

Sources: [7] · Starlab product page · medium confidence

Limitations and open problems

  • No commercial station has launched or hosted crew yet, so every date in this profile is a planned date, and several have already moved.
  • GAO's June 2026 review said NASA had not yet assessed how likely or how long a gap in human presence in low Earth orbit could be.
  • GAO also recommended that NASA document how it will decide between retiring the ISS in 2030 and extending its operations. The 2030 retirement year is therefore a plan, not a settled decision.
  • The NASA sources reviewed give no funding amounts for the second phase, so the cost of the programme is not verified here.
  • Contract awards are planned for spring 2027 and NASA's schedule is labelled preliminary, so the sequence could change.
  • The status of Orbital Reef, the project led by Blue Origin and Sierra Space, could not be confirmed from the primary sources reviewed.

Possible future uses

Speculative

Ideas, not predictions. None of these has been demonstrated.

  • Commercial stations selling research time and crew seats to pharmaceutical, materials and other private customers, if demand grows beyond government buyers.
  • Stations that act as a hub for in-orbit manufacturing and servicing, linking to the wider in-space manufacturing and assembly work.
  • Countries without their own crew-capable spacecraft buying research places or crew time on a commercial station.

Timeline

  1. 2021NASA signs 2021 Space Act Agreements with Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman and Starlab, according to NASA's programme page. Sources: [1]
  2. 19 Dec 2024NASA and Axiom Space change the assembly order, so the Payload, Power and Thermal Module launches to the ISS first and could leave as early as 2028. Sources: [6]
  3. 20 Jan 2026Vast says Haven-1 will launch no earlier than Q1 2027, later than the 2026 date it had given. Sources: [5]
  4. 17 Jun 2026GAO publishes report GAO-26-107805 on NASA's decisions about replacing the ISS with commercial stations. Sources: [4]
  5. 6 Jul 2026NASA releases the draft RFP for Phase 2 and asks for industry feedback. Sources: [2]
  6. 9 Oct 2026NASA's procurement page lists the final RFP for the Commercial Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Destination Contract (CLDC) as released, with industry proposals planned for 8 December 2026. Sources: [3]

Futures this could help bring about

AI illustration
How far away?

Life after the International Space Station

Engineering prototypes · 3 of 12 steps done

AI illustration
How far away?

Making things in orbit that can't be made on Earth

Engineering prototypes · 3 of 6 steps done

AI illustration
How far away?

Space holidays for ordinary people

Pilots · 2 of 6 steps done

Glossary

Low Earth orbit (LEO)
The region of space close to Earth, where the ISS and most crewed spaceflight operate.
Space Act Agreement
A type of NASA agreement, not a standard purchase contract, used here to fund development work with a company.
Free-flyer
A space station that flies on its own, not attached to another station.
Firm-fixed-price contract
A contract with an agreed price in advance, so the contractor carries the risk of cost overruns.

Sources

  1. government report
    Commercial Space Stations
    NASA, 15 Aug 2025. Accessed 21 Oct 2026.
  2. government report
    NASA Seeks Industry Input on Second Phase of Commercial Space Stations
    NASA, 6 Jul 2026. Accessed 21 Oct 2026.
  3. government report
    Commercial Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Destination Contract (CLDC)
    NASA Johnson Space Center, 9 Oct 2026. Accessed 21 Oct 2026.
  4. government report
    Low-Earth Orbit: NASA Faces Impending Decisions for Replacing International Space Station with Commercial Stations
    U.S. Government Accountability Office, 17 Jun 2026. Accessed 21 Oct 2026.
  5. news
    Vast Delays Haven-1 Launch to 2027
    Payload Space, 20 Jan 2026. Accessed 21 Oct 2026.
  6. government report
    NASA, Axiom Space Change Assembly Order of Commercial Space Station
    NASA, 19 Dec 2024. Accessed 21 Oct 2026.
  7. company announcement
    Starlab
    Airbus, 21 Oct 2026. Accessed 21 Oct 2026.

Revision history

3 changes since this profile was created.

Changes on 21 Oct 2026
Published on owner instruction (content loop iteration 60)a3864cc
Sources and claims re-checked against originalsfbb434c
Initial profile drafted from primary sources7e66249

What it took to get here

The inventions this technology was built on, oldest foundations at the top. Lines show what each one required.

Built on: Commercial space stations Unlocked Being researched Locked
  1. 2017Asteroid miningResearch and prototypes Being researched.
  1. 2014In-space manufacturingResearch and prototypesRequires: Asteroid mining. Being researched.
  1. 1964Reusable launch vehiclesPilot and early commercialRequires: In-space manufacturing. Unlocked.
  1. 2021Commercial space stationsResearch and prototypesRequires: Reusable launch vehicles. Being researched.