For more than 25 years, the International Space Station (ISS) has been humanity's main address in orbit. It is now scheduled to retire around 2030, and the stations that follow it will be built and run by private space companies. These commercial space stations are the next major piece of infrastructure in low Earth orbit (LEO).
This guide explains what commercial space stations are, why they are being built now, the main projects, how NASA is funding them, and the logistics they will depend on.
What is a commercial space station?
A commercial space station is a crewed platform in orbit that a private company owns and operates. Instead of a government agency building and running the station, the operator sells access to customers, including:
- Space agencies that need crew time and research facilities, with NASA expected to be an anchor customer.
- Pharmaceutical, materials and biotech companies running microgravity research.
- In-space manufacturers producing materials that are hard to make under gravity.
- Countries without their own station, and private astronauts.
The model mirrors what happened with cargo and crew transport to the ISS. NASA moved from owning vehicles to buying services from companies such as SpaceX and Northrop Grumman, and it now plans to do the same for the stations themselves.
Why the ISS is being replaced
The ISS's first modules launched in 1998. Its structure is ageing, and operating it costs NASA billions of dollars a year. NASA and its partners plan to end ISS operations around 2030, and NASA has contracted SpaceX to build a dedicated vehicle to deorbit the station safely over a remote ocean area.
NASA's goal is to avoid a gap in which the US has no permanent crewed presence in orbit. That puts pressure on commercial stations to be ready, tested and certified before the ISS is retired, a timeline that US lawmakers questioned in 2026.
Commercial space stations in development
Several companies are building stations, with different designs and strategies. Schedules have moved often, so check each developer for the latest status.
| Station | Developer | Design | Approach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Axiom Station | Axiom Space | Modules attached to the ISS first | NASA selected Axiom in 2020 for a module on the ISS; it will later detach to fly as an independent station |
| Haven-1 | Vast | Single module, about 45 m³, crew of four | Free-flying station visited by SpaceX Dragon; intended as a stepping stone to larger stations |
| Starlab | Starlab Space (Voyager Technologies and Airbus joint venture) | Single large station launched in one piece | Planned to launch on SpaceX Starship; part of NASA's commercial destinations work |
| Orbital Reef | Blue Origin and Sierra Space | Modular free-flying station with inflatable habitats | Designed as a 'mixed-use business park' in LEO |
Attached first or free-flying?
There are two main strategies. Axiom is starting attached to the ISS, using its power, life support and crew access while its own modules mature. Vast, Starlab and Orbital Reef are designed as free-flyers from day one, which avoids depending on the ISS schedule but means proving every system independently.
NASA's Commercial LEO Destinations programme
NASA supports commercial stations through its Commercial LEO Destinations (CLD) programme. In its first phase, NASA funded design work on several free-flying station concepts through Space Act Agreements, alongside the separate Axiom contract for ISS-attached modules.
In 2026 NASA revised its strategy for the next phase, issuing a draft request for proposals to industry on how it will buy commercial LEO services after the ISS. The final shape of that programme will largely decide which stations have the anchor customer they need to close their business cases.
How much does a space station cost?
The ISS cost more than $100 billion to build and assemble, shared between NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA and the Canadian Space Agency. Commercial developers aim to cut that dramatically by building smaller stations, using reusable rockets and serving several customers rather than one agency. Most do not publish full development costs.
The bigger long-term cost is operations: crew rotation, cargo resupply, maintenance and returning research samples to Earth. Bringing those costs down is what will make commercial stations viable.
Stations need logistics: cargo, crew and return
A station is only useful if things can get to and from it. Every commercial station will depend on a steady flow of logistics:
- Cargo resupply: food, water, spare parts, experiments and manufacturing feedstock.
- Propellant for station reboosts and manoeuvres, and in future in-orbit refuelling.
- Crew transport to and from the station.
- Payload swaps between the station, free-flying labs and nearby satellites.
- Return of finished products, research samples and hardware to Earth.
Today, almost all of that relies on vehicles launched from the ground for each trip. As more stations, orbital platforms and data centres in space come online, there is a growing case for reusable vehicles that stay in orbit and move cargo between them. Our guide to in-space transportation and space logistics explains how those vehicles work.
That station-to-station layer is where Orbit2Orbit's in-space logistics network fits: reusable, autonomous spacecraft designed to dock, deliver and redeploy between stations, satellites and orbital platforms, supporting infrastructure once it is in orbit rather than launching it.
Frequently asked questions
What is a commercial space station?+
A commercial space station is a crewed platform in orbit that is owned and operated by a private company rather than a government. The operator sells access, such as crew time, research facilities and manufacturing space, to space agencies, companies and private astronauts.
What will be the first commercial space station?+
Vast's Haven-1, a single-module station designed to host a crew of four delivered by SpaceX Dragon, has been positioned as the first free-flying commercial space station. Axiom Space is also building modules that will attach to the International Space Station before separating as an independent station.
What will replace the International Space Station?+
Rather than one government successor, NASA plans to buy services from one or more commercial stations in low Earth orbit. Projects include Axiom Station, Vast's Haven-1 and later stations, Starlab from Voyager Technologies and Airbus, and Orbital Reef from Blue Origin and Sierra Space.
Why is the ISS being retired?+
The ISS is ageing, with its first modules launched in 1998, and it costs NASA billions of dollars a year to operate. NASA plans to end operations around 2030 and has contracted SpaceX to build a vehicle that will safely deorbit the station.
How much does a space station cost?+
The International Space Station cost more than $100 billion to build and assemble, shared between partner agencies. Commercial stations aim to be far cheaper by using smaller designs, reusable launch and commercial customers, though full costs are not publicly disclosed by most developers.
How long can people stay on a space station?+
Typical ISS expeditions last around six months. NASA astronaut Frank Rubio set the US record of 371 consecutive days in 2023, and cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov's 437 days aboard Mir in 1994 and 1995 remains the overall record.
How do commercial space stations get supplies?+
Stations rely on cargo spacecraft launched from Earth, crew vehicles such as SpaceX Dragon, and in future in-space logistics vehicles that move cargo between stations and other orbital platforms and return hardware to Earth.
Sources
- NASA: NASA selects first commercial destination module for the International Space Station (2020)
- NASA Technical Reports Server: Commercial LEO Destination (CLD) Concept of Operations
- Aerospace America: U.S. lawmakers probe NASA's revamped commercial space station strategy (2026)
- Spaceflight Now: Vast Haven-1 primary structure and launch target
- The Planetary Society: Orbital Reef
- Wikipedia: List of commercial space stations