NASA unveils plans to commercialize low Earth orbit

NASA unveiled an ambitious program Friday to commercialize low-Earth orbit, making way for product development and even advertising aboard the International Space Station, month-long visits by company astronauts starting as early as next year and use of a station docking port for privately financed research-and-development modules. NASA’s five-part commercialization blueprint also calls for the agency to facilitate development of technology needed for free-flying research labs NASA could rent space aboard in the future and work to “stimulate sustainable demand” for commercial R & D in a variety of fields ranging from in-space manufacturing to biomedicine. More

(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jun 8)