As the ISS nears its retirement date at the end of the decade, companies are vying to build its commercial successor under NASA’s Commercial LEO Destination (CLD) program.
Context: In 2021, the space agency announced it would invest in developing at least one commercial space station to succeed the ISS that would work with NASA and commercial customers. However, in March 2026, NASA officials said they don’t believe a commercial business case exists yet in LEO. As a result, they made substantial changes to the program.
Instead of funding an entire station, NASA will buy a docking module that will connect to the ISS. Private stations will be able to dock their modules to this core section. When the timing is right, they’ll be able to disconnect from the ISS and become free flying stations.
In December 2021, NASA awarded a combined $416M to three entities then working on stations:
- A Nanoracks-led team, which included Voyager and Lockheed Martin, won $160M.
- A Blue Origin-led team won $130M to design its Orbital Reef station.
- Northrop Grumman won $125.6M to attempt to retrofit existing tech into a space station.
The players: Here are the companies now at the forefront of the CLD competition:
- Vast is expecting to launch its Haven-1 space station in Q1 2027. The single-module station is aiming to initially host up to four commercial astronauts for two-week missions.
- Axiom Space is planning to launch a two-module station by 2028, with long-term plans to operate an independent four-module station. It is the only competitor to have already led commercial flights to the ISS.
- Starlab, which is being built by a joint venture between Voyager Technologies and Airbus, is aiming to launch its station in 2029. (This is the current form of the Nanoracks-led proposal from 2021.)
Upcoming milestones: Phase 2 of the CLD program was expected to be awarded to at least two companies in 2026. However, NASA’s major pivot means next steps are up in the eair.
Recent headlines:
- CLDs: 2025 Wrapped
- Axiom Space Adjusts Space Station Plans
- An Interview with Jed McCaleb & Max Haot (Vast)
- Voyager Selects Vivace to Manufacture Starlab
Inside Finland’s Rapid Rise as a Space Powerhouse
Finland’s space industry has a lot going for it.
ESA Outlines a Busy Year Ahead
In a press conference at ESA HQ in Paris, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher laid out the agency’s plan for 2026.
What to Expect in 2026
2025 was a transformative year for the global space industry. 2026 will be the year in which many long-term plans (hopefully) take first flight.
Slingshot Spots Uncataloged Russian Sat in MEO
A Russian sat spent five weeks in MEO without the US public SDA database knowing its whereabouts. Slingshot Aerospace found it.
The DoD is looking to the space sector to launch its hypersonics.
Last week, the Pentagon announced that it had awarded two contracts to Varda Space Industries and Stratolaunch as providers for Task Area 3 of the Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonic Test Bed (MACH-TB) program, which focuses on reusable flight concepts for hypersonic missile tests.
“This award marks an important milestone in advancing the nation’s hypersonics testing ecosystem,” Tony Kestranek, VP of the program at the National Security Technology Accelerator sponsoring this program, said in a release. “By expanding into reusable and recoverable flight test solutions, MACH-TB 2.0 is enabling faster, more affordable, and data-rich testing that will accelerate innovation across the hypersonics community.”
Keep reading