A Successor to the ISS
The International Space Station (ISS) has operated for over 20 years as a major center for multi-national in-space research. In recent years it has become a center for commercial activity. NASA has contracted companies to develop resupply spacecraft and crewed vehicles. Nanoracks has built a commercial airlock and provides services to deploy satellites. In addition tourist flight have flown to the Russian Segment multiple times and will soon fly on to the International Side. But the space station is aging, and will eventually be deorbited. NASA doesn't plan to build a new space station in Low Earth Orbit, so it has instead decided to hire companies to build space stations, and become a customer, not a provider.
Commercial Space Stations
NASA recently started a new program, the Commercial LEO Destinations (CLD) program. The ultimate goal of the program is to make NASA a customer, not a provider. They want companies to run and operate their own space stations, and rent out portions of their station to NASA and other space agencies. Competition between different space stations could lead to lower prices and continued innovation. The program follows in the footsteps of the very successful Commercial Resupply Services and Commercial Crew programs, which challenged companies to build and operate their own spacecraft.
This video by Scott Manley explains the stations mentioned on this page and gives a lot of interesting information about the future of the ISS.
In December 2021, NASA selected three concepts, Orbital Reef, Starlab, and an unnamed concept by Northrop Grumman for further development. Each team received between $125 and $160 million dollars to continue development of their station concepts. Another company, Axiom Space has a separate contract with NASA to begin building their own station on the ISS.
Around 2025, NASA will begin certifying stations. NASA can then pay the owners of the stations to allow NASA astronauts to stay there.
Flying NASA astronauts isn't the only way that these stations can make money. Astronauts from other countries and tourists will probably also fly to these stations. Eventually satellites and telescopes could be manufactured at these stations. Within a decade multiple companies could be operating different stations that each provide a unique set of services.
Orbital Reef
Two artistic renderings of Orbital Reef.
The image on the left shows the station in the late-2020s. The image on the right shows the station in the mid-2030s.
Orbital Reef will fly in a mid-inclination orbit 500 km above the Earth.
Both photos credit: Orbital Reef/Blue Origin/Sierra Space
Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser space plane, which will deliver crew and cargo to Orbital Reef, during a test at Edwards AFB.
Credit: NASA/Ken Ulbrich
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Another Artistic rendering of Orbital Reef.
Credit: Orbital Reef/Blue Origin/Sierra Space
On October 25th, 2021, at the International Astronautical Congress, Blue Origin, Boeing, and Sierra Space announced plans to build a space station called Orbital Reef. They want Orbital Reef to become a "mixed use business park" in space. Orbital Reef is still in the early design phases but has a lot of potential to become a key center for science, tourism and business.
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The Orbital Reef project is spearheaded by Blue Origin and Sierra Space; two experienced aerospace companies. Blue Origin was founded in 2000 by one of the richest people in the world: Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon. The company has developed a suborbital rocket called New Shepard that frequently sends tourists on trips to space that are a few minutes long. They are also developing a partially reusable heavy-lift rocket called New Glenn.
Sierra Space is a division of the Sierra Nevada Corporation, an aerospace company that has worked with NASA and the US military since the 1960's. They are a very experienced company that has built hardware for 14 different Mars missions. They have a contract with NASA to deliver supplies to the ISS using their Dream Chaser space plane.
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The Orbital Reef station will be centered around a few large core modules. These will be built by Blue Origin and will probably launch on New Glenn rockets. Blue Origin will also provide "utility systems," which will probably include solar panels, water filtration, and life support systems.
Sierra Space will contribute a Large Integrated Flexible Environment (LIFE) module. Sierra Space has been developing LIFE for years but has yet to launch one into space. It is capable of housing up to 12 astronauts at once. This module is inflatable and has 300 cubic meters of pressurized area in the interior. Sierra Space will also use it's Dream Chaser space plane to deliver supplies and people to the station.
Boeing is another key contributor. They have decades of experience building space stations. The Unity module, Quest airlock and truss structure on the ISS were all manufactured by Boeing. Boeing will build a research module and will be in charge of the stations operation and maintenance. In addition, Boeing will deliver crew and cargo using their Starliner spacecraft.
Instead of spacesuits, the station will use Single Person Spacecraft, which will be built by Genesis Engineering Solutions. These small spacecraft can be used by a professional astronaut to perform repairs, or by a tourist as part of a paid excursion. Redwire Space and Arizona State University are also important partners in the venture.
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The space station is very adaptable and will be easily expandable. Not only will NASA astronauts visit, but astronauts from other countries and even tourists could visit. Even though Blue Origin has never launched a satellite into orbit, I still think that this concept has a lot of potential and could become a bustling business center, where life can thrive in space.
Starlab
Another space station concept that was chosen by NASA is Starlab. The Starlab concept is being developed by Lockheed Martin, Nanoracks, and Voyager Space. Starlab will be launched into space on a single rocket. The Nanoracks-led team claims that Starlab will be the "first-ever free-flying commercial space station."
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There are three segments of the Starlab free-flyer. There is the propulsion and power section, which is at the rear of the station. It has two large solar arrays and two large radiators that will unfold after launch. In the middle there is a docking node with a docking port and a small window. In the front of the station is a large inflatable module. The station will also have a robotic arm that will deploy small satellites for Nanoracks.
The station will be focused on science. It will be the home of the George Washington Carver Science Park. George Washington Carver was an African-American scientist who studied agriculture. He invented hundreds of ways to use peanuts and changed the lives of many poor farmers. Astronauts on Starlab will study a variety of subjects, including: biology, material science, and plant habitation.
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Lockheed Martin is a major aerospace company that builds missiles, fighter jets, helicopters, and spacecraft, among other things. They are the primary contractor for NASA's Orion spacecraft and have extensive experience building robotic spacecraft. Lockheed Martin will build many of the space stations components.
Nanoracks is a young company founded in 2009 that provides a variety of space-related services. By working through Nanoracks you only have to consult with one group and don't have to worry about many of the complexities of spaceflight. With Nanoracks, you can charter a flight to space for a small satellite, deploy a CubeSat from the ISS, or send an experiment to the ISS. They recently sent a small airlock to the ISS.
Nanoracks has also conducted research into converting old rocket upper stages into space stations. In the near future they will send a small experiment, Mars Demo-1, to space. It will test cutting metal in space.
Voyager Space, the owner of Nanoracks will provide most of the money for development.
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I think this concept is excellent! The design focuses on scientific research and not on tourism. This will put Starlab in a position to truly replace the ISS as a state-of-the-art center for in-space research. Many different space agencies may send experiments, CubeSats, and astronauts to this space station.
An artistic rendering of Starlab. The entire space station will be launched into space on one rocket. It will might launch on Starship, New Glenn, or Vulcan Centaur.
Credit: Nanoracks
An artistic rendering of Starlab. Nanoracks thinks that Starlab can reach Initial Operating Capacity by 2027.
Credit: Nanoracks
Northrop Grumman's concept
An artistic rendering of Northrop Grumman's space station. The station will use technologies developed for HALO, Cygnus, and the Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV). The station will support 4 crew members in its early years, but could eventually support 8 astronauts for an extended time.
Credit: Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman is another company that received funding by NASA to develop a space station concept. Not much has been announced about this project, and I couldn't find an official name for the space station.
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Two large "base modules" will form the core of the station. Each of these modules will have solar panels, radiators, and multiple docking ports. The artistic rendering shows the station being resupplied by a modified Cygnus spacecraft with a Dragon 2 spacecraft also docked with the station.
The station might be expanded in the future. These expansions could include laboratories, airlocks, and "facilities capable of artificial gravity" [Northrop Grumman Press Release]
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Northrop Grumman operates the Cygnus resupply spacecraft, which was operated by Orbital ATK before the company was purchased by Northrop Grumman. The Cygnus resupply spacecraft frequently delivers new supplies to the International Space Station. The Virginia based company is in the process of designing the Habitation And Logistics Outpost (HALO), which will be one of the first components of NASA's Lunar Gateway.
Northrop Grumman has teamed up with Dynetics, a subsidiary of Leidos, to build the station. More partners will be announced in the future.
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Northrop Grumman is an expert when it comes to space stations, and I think they have a great chance at succeeding. I think this space station will might launch before Starlab or Orbital Reef because of Northrop Grumman's extensive experience with space stations.
Axiom Station
Another company that is building a commercial space station is Axiom Space. They have a separate contract with NASA to add their own section onto the International Space Station (ISS). Before the ISS is retired the Axiom Segment will detach and form its own space station.
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On January 27th, 2020, NASA awarded a contract to Axiom Space to add a commercial module onto the forward docking port of the Harmony module. The module that they add will be the first part of the Axiom Station.
That first module, Axiom Hub One, is scheduled for launch in 2024. It will provide crew quarters and basic research capabilities. Axiom Hub Two is scheduled to launch the next year. It will provide additional crew quarters and research capabilities. After that a Laboratory Module will be added. A spacious Cupola will provide awe-inspiring views of Earth. The station will be completed in 2028, when the Power Tower arrives at the station. The Power Tower will have an airlock, large solar panels at the top, and additional storage space. The structure of these modules will be built by Thales Alenia Space. To learn more about the main modules, look at this infographic.
In addition to the main modules listed above, there are plans to add some of the components of the ISS to the Axiom Station. Axiom wants to add the Leonardo Permanent Multipurpose Module and Canadarm2 to their station.
Space Entertainment Enterprise (SEE) has also been making plans with Axiom to send a movie studio to space. They want to add an inflatable module to the Axiom Segment in 2024 and use it to film TV shows, and movies, including one featuring Tom Cruise.
To raise money for development of their modules Axiom will fly tourist flights to the ISS. These flights will use SpaceX's Dragon 2 spacecraft and will last about 8 days. The first tourist mission, Ax-1, is scheduled to launch in March 2022. The three tourists, who each paid millions to be on the flight, will be accompanied by a professional astronaut who works for Axiom.
Axiom Space is a startup based in Houston, Texas that is led by many very experienced people. The CEO and co-founder of the company Michael Suffredini, was the manager of the ISS program between 2005 and 2015. This might have been one of the main reasons why the company was chosen by NASA.
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The Axiom Station concept is significantly further along in development than the other concepts listed on this page. The first components of Axiom Hub One are already being constructed in Turin, Italy. Axiom Space, with their experienced leadership, thorough planning, and long-term vision are in the best position to become the leading commercial space station operator.
An artistic rendering of the Axiom Station attached to the ISS. The first module is scheduled for launch in 2024. Before the ISS is decommissioned Axiom will detach it's portion of the station and turn it into a free-flying station.
Credit: Axiom Space
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An artistic rendering of the Axiom Station from below. The main modules of the station will be cylindrical in shape. They will have solar panels covering the top of each module and small windows throughout.
Credit: Axiom Space
This animation shows the basic plan for the construction of the Axiom Station on the ISS. Before the ISS is deorbited the Axiom Station will detach from the ISS. ISS operations were recently extended until at least 2030.