In 1979, the process of the Skylab’s fall unexpectedly pushed the boundaries of space. The debris of the structure that could not pass through the atmosphere without disintegrating was observed around Western Australia, and some large pieces fell in areas near Esperance. The town officials took a humorous approach to this situation by charging NASA a $400 “trash disposal” fee; of course, it was not paid, but the event became a lighthearted joke throughout the 1970s.
Many years later, a similar future vision began to be imagined for the International Space Station (ISS). The ISS’s mission is about to end, and a backup station that will be decommissioned is not yet ready. Since its launch in 1998, the ISS has become the center of over 4,000 scientific experiments. Studies have been conducted in many fields, from examining the long-term effects of space travel on human health to developing new materials in microgravity. During this process, the necessary knowledge for humanity to sustain a long-term presence in space has also been acquired.
NASA’s new vision aims to deorbit the ISS in 2030 in a controlled manner and transfer responsibility to the private sector. By sharing costs and operations, private industry will play a driving role in the future of space stations. In this framework, the Commercial LEO Destinations Program is being developed; private companies will build their own stations, with NASA as just one of the customers.
Axiom Space stands out in this field and competes with a few rivals: Orbital Reef (a partnership between Blue Origin and Sierra Space), Starlab (a partnership between Voyager Technologies and Airbus), and Axiom Space as the strongest candidate. Axiom has nearly completed working on its first module and plans to connect it to the ISS with Falcon Heavy in 2027 and transform the module into an independent station. The goal is to double the usable volume of the ISS. Additionally, last year, it took significant steps by sending private astronauts to the ISS to gain operational experience; practical knowledge was acquired in communication with the ground team and managing scientific experiments.
The role of the private sector in space with the current plans means that, alongside governments, private companies are now also on the scene. If Axiom and other companies succeed, a new era will begin for humanity’s permanent presence in Earth orbit. These stations will not only serve scientific research; they could also pave the way for different purposes such as zero-gravity hotels or commercial production facilities. NASA’s similar success with the Commercial Crew Program is considered a sign of this tradition; the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule were developed through this program and have started to be used in both private and public projects. It is hoped that the same success will be repeated in the void created by the retirement of the ISS.
