Private companies race to build the successors to the International Space Station
The International Space Station has been one of humanity's most important laboratories in orbit for more than two decades. But as the ageing station moves toward the end of its operational era, a new generation of privately developed space stations is being prepared to take its place.
In a report for the BBC, journalist Lily Jamali goes behind the scenes at a California-based aerospace company working to develop the infrastructure that could support the next phase of human activity in low Earth orbit.
The emerging commercial space-station industry is part of a broader shift in human spaceflight, with governments increasingly looking to private companies to provide orbital infrastructure and services.
One of the companies pursuing this goal is Vast Space, a California-based space company developing commercial space stations. The company is headquartered in Long Beach and is working on its Haven space-station programme.
The end of an era
The ISS has hosted astronauts continuously since 2000 and has supported thousands of scientific experiments. However, maintaining an ageing structure in orbit is becoming increasingly challenging and expensive.
NASA and its international partners are therefore preparing for a transition toward privately operated orbital destinations.
Rather than replacing the ISS with one enormous government-built structure, the emerging model could involve several commercial stations operated by different companies.
These stations are expected to provide laboratories, accommodation, manufacturing facilities and other services for government agencies, researchers and potentially private customers.
California has become one of the most important centres of the modern commercial space industry, home to companies developing rockets, spacecraft, satellites and orbital infrastructure.
Vast, founded in 2021, is among the companies attempting to establish a permanent commercial presence in orbit. Its long-term plans include developing stations capable of supporting human crews and research.
The company's approach is part of a competitive field that includes other commercial space-station developers. Axiom Space, for example, is developing a modular commercial station that is intended to begin as an independent orbital destination and eventually become a larger station.
The planned stations are intended to do more than simply provide somewhere for astronauts to live.
Researchers could use them to conduct experiments in microgravity, while companies could investigate areas such as pharmaceutical research, advanced manufacturing and materials science.
Commercial operators could also eventually offer opportunities for private astronauts and other customers, potentially creating a new orbital economy.
NASA's continued use of commercial partners reflects a wider change in how space infrastructure is being developed. Instead of governments financing and operating every major component, private companies are increasingly expected to build and operate systems that can serve both public and commercial customers.
A race against time
The challenge for the companies involved is considerable. Building a habitable structure that can safely operate hundreds of kilometres above Earth requires sophisticated life-support systems, power generation, communications, propulsion and radiation protection.
The stations must also be capable of safely transporting astronauts to and from orbit and maintaining reliable operations for extended periods.
Vast is already developing hardware for its station programme, while other companies are pursuing competing designs. The company is also expected to participate in NASA's commercial crew programme, with a private mission to the ISS currently targeted for late 2027.
The transition away from the ISS is likely to mark a significant change in the way humans operate in low Earth orbit.
For decades, the ISS has largely represented international government cooperation in space. Its eventual successors could instead be operated by private companies, with governments becoming customers rather than the sole owners and operators of orbital infrastructure.
The success of that model is far from guaranteed. Companies must overcome major technical, financial and regulatory challenges before commercial stations can become a routine part of life in orbit.
But with multiple companies now competing to develop the next generation of orbital habitats, the period following the ISS could look very different from the one that came before it.
The race underway in California and elsewhere is therefore not simply about replacing an ageing space station. It is about determining who will build, operate and benefit from humanity's next permanent presence in low Earth orbit.
