How do you retire when you’re irreplicable? That’s the question facing the International Space Station. For the last 25 years, the ISS has been the world’s base in space, housing dozens of astronauts and countless scientific experiments on a football field-sized platform in low-Earth orbit.
But now it’s on its last legs. In recent years, air leaks and cracks have shown the ISS’s structural integrity is in decline. It’s not surprising given the station was originally slated for a 15-year lifetime.
With NASA having announced plans to retire the ISS in 2030, the clock is ticking to develop a replacement. The ISS was built on international goodwill and cooperation, but amid increasing political turmoil, many of the new plans are being put forth by individual nations and commercial partnerships. Here are five frontrunners.
1. Tiangong
Tiangong, which literally translates as Sky Palace, is China’s answer to the ISS. Launched in 2021, it was originally envisioned after the US prohibited any NASA cooperation with the China National Space Administration in 2011. Although it’s much smaller than the ISS, it can still house a crew of six. Due to politics, both the US and Europe likely won’t be involved in any work on this space station.
2. Starlab
Airbus Defense and Space and Voyager Space are working on constructing Starlab, a commercial space station, under a NASA grant. This future space station, which is also headed by NanoRacks and Lockheed Martin, has set an ambitious 2028 launch date and is shaping up to be perhaps the most promising successor to the ISS. The European Space Agency recently signed a memorandum stating its interest in this space station.
3. Orbital Reef
Under the same grant funding as Starlab, Blue Origin and Sierra Space are developing a 10-person space station called Orbital Reef. As of October, progress on this station was reported to have slowed, although the two companies have stated their commitment to continuing its development.
4. Axiom Station
Modules built by Axiom Space are set to launch this decade and will dock to the ISS but will be able to disconnect and orbit independently as a commercial orbital platform.
5. Bharatiya Antariksha Station
In 2019, India decided not to join the ISS and instead go it alone. They are working on their own space station, however, it likely won’t launch until 2035 and has a proposed crew of only three.
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IMAGERY INTERLUDE
NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara celebrated Thanksgiving aboard the ISS last week with some festive socks.
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SPACEDEBRIS
Australia is asking for help deciding on a name for its first lunar rover. The names up for vote are quintessentially Aussie.
SpaceX is acquiring Pioneer Aerospace. It nabbed the parachute maker for $2.2 million.
Starlink is headed to Israel and Gaza. The announcement follows Elon Musk’s visit to the war-torn region.
Something mysterious hit the Moon. And scientists think it came from a Chinese rocket.
Japan’s ispace unveiled a lunar rover the size of a small dachshund. The rover will hopefully scoop up dirt on the Moon next year.
China is building ground stations for spy satellites around the world. And the US is increasingly worried about it.
This week’s Space Business newsletter was authored by science writer and photographer Mara Johnson-Groh, and edited by Heather Landy.
Last week: The Starship Injury Enterprise
This was issue 205 of our newsletter. Hope your week is out of this world! Send space station designs, holiday socks, tips, and informed opinions to [email protected].