Mind the Gap: Commercial Space Stations & the ISS

Low Earth orbit—where the International Space Station (ISS) is maintained—is an important testbed and proving ground for advancing space activities and human exploration, as well as a close-to-Earth location for new entrants and potential in-space manufacturing. With the planned retirement of the ISS and the development of several private space stations to replace it, the U.S. government must consider how to minimize disruption of current space science initiatives and supply chains and maintain a cooperative leadership position in exploration and science among growing competition from other nations. This chapter explores opportunities, as well as how a post-ISS gap in services—especially one of several years’ duration—could create a gap in U.S. prestige and a missed opportunity for domestic and allied private industry alike. 

Authors: Colleen Stover and Angie Bukley

This paper was published in Space Agenda 2025, an effort by the Center for Space Policy and Strategy (CSPS) at The Aerospace Corporation to highlight and provide insights into some of the major space challenges facing policymakers. You can read the entire list of Space Agenda 2025 papers here.