NASA issues RFP for private space stations

Today, Friday October 9, NASA released a Request For Proposals (RFP) to the US commercial space industry to develop private space stations that, as early as 2030, will succeed the International Space Station as a place for astronauts to live in low-Earth orbit.

In a cover letter accompanying the 360-page “request for proposals,” NASA stated its plan: “This will ensure NASA has a sustained human presence in LEO for crew members to perform science and exploration.” Several private companies that have worked for years on designing and developing such stations have been keen to learn exactly what capabilities NASA is seeking. These new documents finally provide some answers.

NASA’s solicitation can be found here. Industry responses are due back to NASA on December 8. NASA said it plans to select “two or more” contractors in this phase of the competition, and intends to make a final decision in April.

In a statement accompanying the RFP, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said they will never give up their presence in Low Earth Orbit. 

“We will continue to need a place to conduct research, develop technologies, train crews, and prepare for missions to the Moon and Mars. Commercial space stations may provide that capability while creating new opportunities for American industry and allowing NASA to concentrate more of our resources on the near-impossible missions ahead.” 

We can speculate which companies are likely to respond to this request. We know that Axiom Space, Vast Space, Voyager (Starlab) Space, and Blue Origin have all talked about putting up their own Space Stations, so those are probably most likely. The big question is the who the wild card will be - or if there will be several new wild cards.

On the mildly surprising side, SpaceX has not expressed any interest in Space Stations, so they're not expected to bid.

Which adds to the other big question: how will travelers get to and from this Space Station?

In earlier discussions with potential space station providers, NASA had indicated it may leave acquiring transportation to the contractors—basically saying it was their responsibility to sell an end-to-end service to the space agency.
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But in the new request for proposals (RFP), the space agency goes further in support of would-be space station operators. As part of their bids, contractors do not need to provide proof of a signed contract with Boeing (or another transportation provider), or even a letter of intent. NASA is even offering to “furnish” transportation for the first four NASA service missions to the private stations, likely meaning it will help broker deals between the private companies and Boeing.

Artist's concept of the Vast Space Haven-2 space station. Image credit: Vast Space

That looks more like a "Space Station" than the Haven-1 we talked about almost exactly one year ago today.