NASA Wants to Buy a Private Space Station Service, Not Own the Successor to the ISS
Proposals are due December 8, with at least $100 million guaranteed to each early-phase winner, according to Ars Technica. NASA also offers to furnish transportation for its first four service missions to the new stations.
By
Anjali Mehra
NASA on Friday, October 9, 2026, issued its final call for US companies to propose privately built space stations that would take over from the International Space Station in low Earth orbit.
In brief
- The solicitation, which Ars Technica describes as a 360-page document, asks industry for orbital outposts that could become the home of astronauts as soon as 2030.
- NASA plans to pick two or more contractors for early development, then run a competitive task order covering final design, test and evaluation, certification and services, which may go to one or more of them.
- Marshall Smith, chief executive of Voyager’s Starlab space station, called the document a key step: “The release of the RFP is an important milestone,” he said.
The solicitation, which Ars Technica describes as a 360-page document, asks industry for orbital outposts that could become the home of astronauts as soon as 2030. For a policy story that has been building for years, it marks the point where design ambitions meet formal contract terms.
A station, and the rides to reach it
The scope goes beyond hardware. According to NASA, bidders must be ready to design, build, test, certify and operate commercial destinations in low Earth orbit, providing end-to-end destination and transportation services for human spaceflight. In other words, the agency wants to buy an outcome rather than own a facility.
The contracting vehicle reflects that shift. The agency plans to grant several firm-fixed-price awards structured as indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts, spanning development, certification and services that support continued research and exploration close to Earth.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman framed the rationale around continuity of capability: “We will continue to need a place to conduct research, develop technologies, train crews, and prepare for missions to the Moon and Mars.” He also set a commercial test for applicants.
“The opportunity is significant, but the economics ultimately have to work.”
Jared Isaacman, NASA Administrator
From early consultations to a spring decision
The final document closes a consultation sequence that ran through most of the year. The steps, and those still ahead, look like this:
- NASA issues two Requests for Information, one on destinations in low Earth orbit and one on transportation.
- A draft Request for Proposals appears, followed by an industry day and one-on-one meetings with interested firms.
- The final Request for Proposals is released.
- Proposals are due, on a Tuesday.
- NASA expects to announce awards; Ars Technica reports the agency aims for a final decision in April.
Selection then proceeds in stages. NASA plans to pick two or more contractors for early development, then run a competitive task order covering final design, test and evaluation, certification and services, which may go to one or more of them.
| Phase | What it covers, as reported by Ars Technica |
|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Early development; winners are guaranteed at least $100 million |
| Phase 2 | Begins next year and funds station development and certification |
| Phase 3 | Purchase of at least four NASA astronaut missions to the private stations |
Ars Technica reports that the later phases will be worth billions of dollars.
The transportation puzzle
Getting crews up remains the most delicate piece. Ars Technica reports that SpaceX plans to retire Crew Dragon as soon as it can and has not offered seats to private station operators. Two weeks before the final solicitation, NASA provided an additional $359 million to support Boeing’s effort to certify its Starliner spacecraft.
The new document eases the burden on applicants. Bidders do not need a signed transportation contract with Boeing or anyone else, nor even a letter of intent, and NASA offers to furnish transportation for the first four of its service missions. For the first time, the agency also puts a price on those trips.
By offering to furnish those first flights, NASA takes a significant burden off station providers, who already face the challenge of building, testing and flying orbital stations.
Who is lining up
Ars Technica expects three firms to compete for the early phase, while two larger players look less certain:
- Axiom Space welcomed the final RFP and said its team was reviewing it.
- Voyager Space, through its Starlab project, also responded positively.
- Vast Space said it is in final integration with Haven-1, its first station.
- Blue Origin won an earlier round of NASA funding, though questions remain over its commitment.
- SpaceX appears unlikely to bid, at least for now.
Marshall Smith, chief executive of Voyager’s Starlab space station, called the document a key step: “The release of the RFP is an important milestone,” he said.
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