NASA sure seems to be asking an awful lot of private space stations

NASA released a draft request for the Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destination Contract, which will determine who builds and operates the space station(s) intended to succeed the International Space Station. Rather than owning and running its own station, the agency intends to shift to a tenant model, buying services from commercial providers who develop, operate and maintain the stations themselves. NASA plans to award firm-fixed-price, multiple-award contracts on an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity basis, covering development, certification and delivery of station services.

Source: Ars Technica | 2026-07-10