What GAO Found Facing the retirement of the International Space Station (ISS), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is planning to replace it with one or more commercially owned and operated space stations. NASA’s goal is to transition from the ISS, a government-owned platform, to commercial space stations to ensure the U.S. maintains a continuous presence in low-Earth orbit (LEO). NASA is working with six U.S. companies to develop and certify commercial space stations that NASA and other customers could use in LEO. NASA has been working with the companies to mature their initial space station designs. NASA’s Commercial Providers’ Space Station Concepts As of May 2026, NASA has not yet finalized the acquisition approach for this transition. Under the current approach, NASA plans to award one or more Space Act Agreements in 2026 to build stations. Subsequently, NASA anticipates that it will award a contract for certifying that the commercial space stations are safe for NASA crew and for buying mission services. Timeline of Key Events in the Transition from Using the ISS to Commercial Stations in Low Earth Orbit In March 2026, NASA also introduced an alternative approach that would include the use of a government-owned core…
Professional
Low-Earth Orbit: NASA Faces Impending Decisions for Replacing International Space Station with Commercial Stations
Source: US GAO Reports — US Government, Public Domain