For astronauts, a space station is a workplace, a laboratory and a home. Replacing one takes more than launching a new module: someone has to keep the lights on, deliver crews and supplies, and pay for the years of work before the first customer arrives.
NASA took a concrete step on October 9, 2026 (17 Mehr 1405), releasing its final request for proposals for commercial stations in low Earth orbit. Companies have until December 8 to submit plans, with awards expected in spring 2027. AsiaNews Iran examines what the competition changes and why the handover from the International Space Station remains a demanding test.
What NASA is asking companies to build
The agency wants destinations that can support human spaceflight, with transportation included in an end-to-end service. Its announced contract approach would take two or more companies through early development, then run a further competition covering final design, testing, certification and services from one or more providers.
That leaves room for competition at the start without promising that every bidder will operate a NASA-funded station. No winner was named in the October 9 announcement.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, who leads the U.S. space agency, says the aim is to preserve a sustained American presence in orbit while freeing resources for more difficult missions farther from Earth. His condition is practical: companies need credible technical plans and customers beyond NASA.
The dates that matter
- December 8, 2026: proposals are due under NASA’s announcement.
- Spring 2027: NASA expects to make contract awards. This is a planned milestone, not a completed selection.
- 2030: the ISS’s planned retirement creates the central handover challenge, rather than a guarantee that a replacement will be ready.
Ars Technica’s October 9 reporting also describes the solicitation as the long-awaited next step for companies developing private stations. The immediate news is the opening of that competition; a functioning successor still has to emerge from it.
Why a gap in orbit remains a concern
The U.S. Government Accountability Office warned in June that station development could take longer than NASA planned. Its assessment identified a risk of a gap if commercial facilities are not ready before ISS operations end.
The watchdog said NASA needs a readiness assessment in 2027, including a documented basis for deciding whether to retire the ISS as planned or consider extending operations. An extension would carry budget consequences. The June report predates the final solicitation, so its description of the acquisition process should not be mistaken for NASA’s newly announced approach.
The risk is larger than losing an address in space. Researchers need somewhere to run experiments, crews need training opportunities, and suppliers need schedules they can plan around. NASA’s own account of ISS research describes work ranging from plant growth to protein crystals and equipment tested for deeper-space missions.
A station needs a business, too
Commercial activity in low Earth orbit already includes the satellite networks connecting people on Earth. A crewed station poses a different commercial question: who will repeatedly buy access to a safe, habitable laboratory?
- Technical readiness: can a provider deliver and certify a station and its transport service?
- Financial durability: can it fund development and attract additional customers?
- Continuity: can the transition preserve the capabilities NASA needs without an avoidable interruption?
The new competition gives industry a clearer target. Its success will be measured in reliable operations and useful research, not simply in the number of proposals submitted. Which should carry the most weight in choosing the ISS’s successors: continuity, cost or scientific capability?