NASA Agrees with Industry, Keep CLD Program As Is

NASA is backing off its March announcement proposing a significant change to ensuring that at least one commercial space station is ready to replace the International Space Station (ISS) at the end of the decade. Facing backlash from the companies already building Commercial Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Destinations, or CLDs, the agency agreed today to stick with the existing plan.

Construction of the U.S.-Russian-European-Japanese-Canadian ISS began in 1998. It’s been permanently occupied by crews rotating on roughly six-month schedules for more than 25 years — since November 2, 2000. It’s old.

NASA continues to need access to a LEO space station for research especially on human adaptation to space as astronauts move out to the Moon and Mars. But it doesn’t want to build another one and the current plan is for the ISS to be deorbited in 2030.

Convinced that scientific research and other pursuits like space tourism could create a business case, years ago NASA initiated the CLD program to facilitate commercial companies to build smaller space stations through Public-Private Partnerships where NASA could be just one of many customers.

Politicians on both sides of the aisle also want to ensure China is not the only country with a space station in LEO. China’s Tiangong space station is young. The first three modules were launched in 2021-2022 and more are planned. China began permanent occupancy of Tiangong in 2022 and just completed its most recent crew rotation.

Axiom Station (Axiom Space, Thales Alenia and others), Starlab (Voyager Space, Airbus, Mitsubishi, MDA Space, Palantir, Northrop Grumman and others), Orbital Reef (Blue Origin, Redwire, Sierra Space, Boeing and others), and Haven (Vast) are among the most prominent CLD competitors, but the entire effort is proceeding more slowly than expected.

In September 2025, then-Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy proposed substantial changes to NASA’s requirements, reducing the number of crew who needed to be aboard and for how long. Reaction was muted as confirmation of a new NASA Administrator was awaited. Jared Isaacman was sworn in on December 18, 2025 and quickly began making changes on many fronts. On March 24, 2026 during his “Ignition” event, the agency proposed a dramatically different idea as a potential CLD alternative. Concerned that a commercial market doesn’t yet exist for CLDs and the ISS could end with nothing to replace it, NASA offered to build a government-funded module and attach it to the ISS where nascent CLDs could temporarily dock and take advantage of ISS life support and electrical power.

The next day at a pre-scheduled hearing before the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, Dave Cavossa, president of the Commercial Space Federation that represents seven companies working on CLDs, left no doubt they were not happy. His members wanted NASA to “stick to the plan” and release the long-awaited second-round Request for Proposals (RFP).

Today NASA agreed. Senior Advisor and Press Secretary Bethany Stevens posted on X that “The industry position will now shape the path forward as NASA proceeds with the original commercial strategy” and a draft RFP is “expected later this month.”

In the spirit of learning from past programmatic challenges and ensuring a responsible transition from the International Space Station, NASA evaluated both the current commercial space station approach and alternative pathways.

Industry has provided extensive feedback making the case for a sustainable commercial market in which NASA is one customer among many, along with assurances regarding available transportation capabilities. The industry position will now shape the path forward as NASA proceeds with the original commercial strategy.

Over the coming weeks, NASA will work with stakeholders and industry to refine flexible requirements and acquisition plans, with a draft RFP expected later this month. — Bethany Stevens

In a statement to SpacePolicyOnline.com, Cavossa called it “great news,” adding that the discussions over these past weeks with NASA have “made the industry stronger.”

Great news from NASA to stick with commercial space stations in LEO and move forward with the procurement this summer. Pressure testing previous assumptions about the commercial LEO economy has made industry stronger and ready to move forward with NASA to maintain U.S. capabilities and leadership in LEO.  — CSF President Dave Cavossa