*As part of CNN’s Tech For Good series.* by Jacopo Prisco 22 Sept 2025.
In summary:
>The agency is working with private companies to transition to a commercial space station. A [competition](https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/commercial-space/leo-economy/nasa-seeks-industry-input-on-next-phase-of-commercial-space-stations/) will select the best designs and one or more partners for an initial demonstration that will include a 30-day, crewed mission in space. Further down the line, NASA would essentially buy “station services” from a private contractor tasked with launching a modern ISS successor. The entries for the competition are due to be submitted next year, but NASA is already working with several companies developing commercial station designs before the actual ISS replacement work begins. Among these companies is California-based Vast Space, which signed a deal with SpaceX to launch what would be the world’s first commercial space station — called Haven-1 — currently slated for May 2026. The single-module design is a simple proof-of-concept meant to be in orbit for three years, to support four two-week missions performed by a crew of four astronauts each.
With all the doom and gloom about the ISS ending in 60 or so months, it’s important to remember that technology has come a long way since 1990 when the ISS was first planned and we can build a better space station now. China has already shown as much with their space station, and so does [Airbus’s Starlab](https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/commercial-space/leo-economy/nasa-sees-key-progress-on-starlab-commercial-space-station/) which will be part of NASA’s plans. NASA’s plans, obviously, is to simply manage a „marketplace“ of space stations and laboratories like the FAA or FCC. This makes the US government more money, and Europeans will pay Americans to go to space, in the same way we both paid Russia to go to space.
There is, in fact, a future for the American space program. Costs will come down once this is running and the 2030s and 2040s will be better than the 2020s and 2010s. And, if NASA’s larger plans work out, we will have a NASA International Moon Station by mid-century working with a true Space Internet. These things bring costs down to where individual universities can afford missions, which means countries like Italy, Mexico, Korea and Poland will be able to afford a meaningful space-based astronomy program. Which means more space jobs.
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*As part of CNN’s Tech For Good series.* by Jacopo Prisco 22 Sept 2025.
In summary:
>The agency is working with private companies to transition to a commercial space station. A [competition](https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/commercial-space/leo-economy/nasa-seeks-industry-input-on-next-phase-of-commercial-space-stations/) will select the best designs and one or more partners for an initial demonstration that will include a 30-day, crewed mission in space. Further down the line, NASA would essentially buy “station services” from a private contractor tasked with launching a modern ISS successor. The entries for the competition are due to be submitted next year, but NASA is already working with several companies developing commercial station designs before the actual ISS replacement work begins. Among these companies is California-based Vast Space, which signed a deal with SpaceX to launch what would be the world’s first commercial space station — called Haven-1 — currently slated for May 2026. The single-module design is a simple proof-of-concept meant to be in orbit for three years, to support four two-week missions performed by a crew of four astronauts each.
>The company finished building a “qualification” version of Haven-1 earlier this year — one that is not meant to fly and only used for ground testing — and [tested the structure](https://www.vastspace.com/updates/vast-passes-critical-haven-1-test-milestone) against pressurization and launch forces, among other things. The company has also recently [conducted tests with NASA at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama](https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/commercial-space/leo-economy/nasa-helps-with-progress-on-vasts-haven-1-commercial-space-station/).
With all the doom and gloom about the ISS ending in 60 or so months, it’s important to remember that technology has come a long way since 1990 when the ISS was first planned and we can build a better space station now. China has already shown as much with their space station, and so does [Airbus’s Starlab](https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/commercial-space/leo-economy/nasa-sees-key-progress-on-starlab-commercial-space-station/) which will be part of NASA’s plans. NASA’s plans, obviously, is to simply manage a „marketplace“ of space stations and laboratories like the FAA or FCC. This makes the US government more money, and Europeans will pay Americans to go to space, in the same way we both paid Russia to go to space.
There is, in fact, a future for the American space program. Costs will come down once this is running and the 2030s and 2040s will be better than the 2020s and 2010s. And, if NASA’s larger plans work out, we will have a NASA International Moon Station by mid-century working with a true Space Internet. These things bring costs down to where individual universities can afford missions, which means countries like Italy, Mexico, Korea and Poland will be able to afford a meaningful space-based astronomy program. Which means more space jobs.