What Will Earth’s Future Space Station Look Like?
The International Space Station has been orbiting Earth for over 20 years. While it has provided invaluable information and possibilities it is also expensive and getting old. With the International Space Station expected to be retired by the end of the decade, you might wonder what is next.
The future space station orbiting the Earth is likely to be commercially built by different private companies. Specifically, companies such as Axiom are currently working on technology and modules for a future space station. They plan on docking to the ISS and separating once the main International Space Station module is retired.
The commercially owned future space station could bring endless opportunities. Different private companies could work together and compete to create innovative and unique technology of the future. At the same time driving costs down and making space more accessible for everyone and everything.
The International Space Station Retirement
The International Space Station is an incredible piece of technology that has been orbiting the Earth for over 20 years. In this time the space station has been around the planet over 100,000 times. In the space station’s long life it has been responsible for many achievements. This includes a long list of human tests, science, and inventions we use every day on Earth. Despite how great the ISS is, unfortunately, it cannot last forever. Each year the ISS costs NASA around $3-4 billion.
This massive amount of money becomes harder and harder each year to justify the space station’s costs. In addition, the large majority of technology onboard is very outdated. These along with some other factors are a big reason why the ISS will be retiring by the end of the decade. Specifically, the ISS is approved to operate through 2024 and will likely be retired fully around 2028. Currently, NASA is working with different private companies to establish a new space station in the future once the ISS is gone. This could help ensure we have consistent access to space.
Axiom Space
Axiom Space is a private company that was founded quite recently in 2016. Axiom’s goal since creation was to build the first commercial space station. The company has multiple reasons for why it wants to create a commercial space station and the possible effect it would have on the future. Specifically, Axiom talks about the vision of creating a home in space facilitating breakthroughs and perspectives that benefit every human, everywhere. They also want to provide universal access to Low Earth Orbit so that innovators, governments, and individuals can do the same. Axiom also points out a lot of the benefits of consistent access to space provided by a commercial space station. They mention the history and future of research within the environment of space and all the discoveries, medicine, and more it led to. Axiom is confident a commercial space station would end up providing Earth with a lot of different benefits.
Axiom Space’s Plan
In early 2020 NASA awarded Axiom with $140 million to develop and create a commercial module that could be attached to the International Space Station. NASA is a big fan of private companies and encourages a commercial future in space. That is exactly why NASA awarded the company money and is allowing them to connect to the ISS. Axiom since receiving the money has continued to work on a large commercial module for the ISS.
The company is not only working on a single module but a large array. Axiom has mentioned that once fully assembled, Axiom Station will nearly double the useable volume of the International Space Station. This is a great opportunity for NASA and many other companies and agencies because of the possible opportunities. However, you may wonder what exactly the plan is considering the ISS will be retired by the end of the decade. The plan for Axiom and its modules is to disconnect them from the main ISS module when it is retired. At that point, the ISS would be gone and Axiom’s modules would end up as its own commercial space station orbiting the planet.
Commercial Space Station Benefits
A commercial space station provides a long list of benefits for not only the space industry but also the planet Earth. Some of the big positives in the space industry include the impact on cost, innovation, and space access. Each helps encourage and promote future commercial space stations.
Cost – One of the biggest benefits of commercial space stations is the cost. Just like we are seeing in the rocket industry with launch vehicles like Starship, as more and more companies compete the cost gets lower. This effect will likely happen with commercial space stations as well. Different companies will work on technology and create a large array of modules orbiting the Earth. Overtime costs to access and produce these space stations will go down providing Earth and the space industry with many different benefits.
Innovation – Another great part about commercial space stations is the increased innovation. Axiom is just one company but their modules are very impressive and make the ISS look prehistoric. As companies become more and more developed their technology will improve within each module and space station. This better technology will improve science, increase safety, promote inventions, and more. This especially becomes the case when multiple companies start to compete. Just like the cost getting lower, companies competing will help drive innovation and benefit the space industry and everyday people significantly. This was one of the larger downsides to the majority of the ISS’s life. The International Space Station was built by multiple large agencies many years ago and not a lot has changed since then.
Space Access – One last benefit of commercial space stations is increased access to space. This goes for everyone including civilians, scientists, astronauts, and more. As more and more people get access to space, the more improvements we will have back down on Earth. Specifically, access to space and unique environments like zero gravity provide a perfect place for tests and science. These experiments can help cure diseases and make the Earth a much safer place. The increased access to space can also help grow the space launch industry. The different companies will need a way to get up and back down from their space stations. This increased demand will benefit different launch companies a lot. These are just a few benefits from increased space access.
NASA’s Plan
With the retirement of the ISS not too far away, commercial space stations are NASA’s future plan. Rather than spend a massive amount of money on their own and continue to pay for it each year they can instead work with private companies. For NASA to meet its long-term needs for astronaut training, scientific research, and technology demonstrations in low-Earth orbit, they need access to a space station. Axiom is a perfect example of a company that will help provide that. With NASA’s investment in Axiom and other similar companies, they will continue to have the very needed access to space.
Conclusion
The International Space Station is a special piece of technology that has provided invaluable information but it can’t stay in orbit forever. NASA knows this and is working with private companies to develop commercial space stations. It is very likely that soon in the future we will see Axiom start to attach modules to the ISS. In the coming years when the ISS is retired, Axiom plans on separating and becoming a large fully commercial space station. This will help lower cost, increase innovation, improve space access, and more. All with the goal of making life on Earth and beyond better.