NASA's Plans for Commercial Space Stations Face Uncertainty as Partners Encounter Issues

NASA's plans to retire ISS and replace it with commercial projects are changing as wrinkles appear in Blue Origin's Orbital Reef plans.
Northrop Grumman may be ending its NASA contract to develop a private ISS replacement space station.
Blue Origin is breaking up the Orbital Reef team and redirecting some staff to the Blue Moon lunar lander project.
Sierra Space, Blue Origin's Orbital Reef partner, recently got $290 million funding and is developing its own Dream Chaser spaceplane.
NASA advisors raised concerns that private ISS replacements won't be ready before it's set to be decommissioned within the next decade.

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Relevant topic timeline:

9/21/2023

NASA Seeks U.S. Partners to Build Spacecraft for ISS Retirement in 2030

NASA has issued a request for private space companies to design a spacecraft to safely deorbit the International Space Station (ISS) by 2030, in order to prevent it from falling onto populated areas. The proposed spacecraft would act as a "space tug" to lower the ISS's orbit and facilitate its reentry into Earth's atmosphere.

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NASA's Plans for Commercial Space Stations Face Uncertainty as Companies Change Course

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