Is the Next Space Station Going to Be Commercial?

All good things must come to an end, and that's true even of the International Space Station. The orbital laboratory, which has been remarkable on many levels (including getting the US and Russia to get along, sort of), is set to be decommissioned in 2024. Russia already has plans for its own space station, but the American space program hasn't put forward anything new. At a meeting sponsored by the Secure World Foundation and the Alliance for Space Development, though, one solution was proposed: a privately owned or commercial space station, utilizing corporate (rather than national) stakeholders. Charles Miller, president of NexGen Space LLC, says that space industries will need a place for refueling, orbital assembly, and research in microgravity, and that needs to happen with or without a nationalized space station, according to Marsha Smith at Space Policy Online. Many CubeSat missions additionally utilize the ISS currently (rather than expensive, single serve rocket launches) and would need an in-space launch platform. More

(Source: Popular Mechanics - Sep 24)