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Stations

"Stations are the ports of the celestial economy."

Space Station Tracker — ISS, Commercial LEO & Gateway Contracts

The Stations page tracks every active and pending solicitation for orbital platforms, from ISS transition contracts and Commercial LEO Destinations to the Lunar Gateway and sovereign national stations. Browse active station solicitations, follow the commercial LEO race, or explore sovereign station programs. For the full ranked view across all destinations, visit the 2026 tracker. For real-time bid updates, watch the live ABOI feed.

Latest Analysis

EDITORIAL STEM

NASAopen

CLD Phase 2 | NASA Bets on Funded Space Act Agreements

~$1.5B Phase 22+ awards mid-2026

NASA scrapped firm-fixed-price for the next commercial station phase, pivoting to funded Space Act Agreements with at least two awards expected. Axiom, Starlab, Orbital Reef, and a freshly capitalized Vast are in contention.

EDITORIAL STEM

ESA / THALESopen

Gateway I-HAB | Outfitting the Moon's Outpost, If It Survives

$215M moduleUnder question

The I-HAB habitation module is procurement under a question mark, as NASA's Gateway pause redirects toward a surface base. What gets built, and what Canadarm3 and the UAE airlock become, if the outpost is deferred.

EDITORIAL STEM

ISROopen

India Builds Its Own Station | SpaDeX to Bharatiya Antariksh

~$210M BAS-1Launch 2028

India approved the first module of its Bharatiya Antariksh Station at roughly $210M, building on the SpaDeX docking demo and Gaganyaan. A sovereign-station path distinct from the US and Chinese tracks.

EDITORIAL STEM

NASA / SPACEXopen

The Deorbit Vehicle | SpaceX's $843M Job to Sink the ISS

$843MReentry 2031

SpaceX holds the contract to build the vehicle that will deliberately sink the ISS into the South Pacific around 2031. The most consequential end-of-life job in the history of human spaceflight.

EDITORIAL STEM

4 PROVIDERSopen

The CLD Race | Axiom vs Starlab vs Orbital Reef vs Vast

~$3.5B+ eachPre-2030

Four contenders are racing to have a commercial station ready before the ISS retires. Whoever slips leaves a gap in continuous US presence in orbit, and the others take the market.

EDITORIAL STEM

CNSAopen

Tiangong Expands | China Goes from 3 Modules to 6

77 to 180 tonnes6 modules

China's Tiangong is the only operational sovereign station, and it is doubling from three modules to six. Continuous crewed presence since 2022, with a Xuntian telescope co-orbiting, while the West negotiates its successor.

EDITORIAL STEM

NASAopen

Gateway Paused | NASA Redirects to the Surface

$5-7B elementsPaused Mar 2026

NASA paused the entire Gateway program in March 2026 and redirected resources to the lunar surface, with PPE and HALO already in advanced build. ESA's call on what to do with the hardware is due.

EDITORIAL STEM

ROSCOSMOSopen

ROSS | Russia Recycles the ISS Into Its Next Station

ISS-based assemblyPost-2030

Russia pivoted its next station to an ISS-based assembly approach, planning to detach modules and reuse them as the core of a national outpost. Recycling the old station into the new one under budget pressure.

EDITORIAL STEM

VASTopen

Spin Test | Vast's Bet on Artificial Gravity

Haven-1 experiment2027

Vast plans the first artificial-gravity spin experiment on Haven-1, a foundational test for rotating habitats and long-duration crew health. The data that decides whether future stations spin or float.

Active RFPs

SOL-2024-NASA-USDV

NASAawarded

U.S. Deorbit Vehicle | ISS Controlled Reentry

$843MAwarded Jun 26, 2024

SpaceX awarded $843M contract for the vehicle that will safely deorbit the International Space Station. Controlled reentry targeting early 2031.

SOL-2026-NASA-CLD-P2

NASAclosing

NASA Commercial LEO Destinations | Phase 2 Acquisition

~$1.5BTBD

Phase 2 acquisition for at least 2 commercial station providers. On hold pending administration review. Axiom, Starlab, Orbital Reef, and Vast competing.

SOL-2026-NASA-ISS-OPS

NASAopen

ISS Operations & Maintenance | Extension Through 2030

~$3B/yrThrough Dec 2030

ISS operations funded through 2030. Boeing prime contractor. Commercial stations must be ready before retirement to prevent gap in U.S. LEO presence.

SOL-2026-ISRO-BAS1

ISROopen

Bharatiya Antariksh Station | BAS-1 First Module

~$210MDue Dec 1, 2028

India approved BAS-1 first module at approximately $210M, targeting 2028 launch. Building on Gaganyaan human spaceflight capability for India's first space station.

ISS Transition

PROGRAM TRACKER

NASA/SPACEXactive

U.S. Deorbit Vehicle (USDV)

$843MISS deorbit early 2031

SpaceX holds the contract for the vehicle that will safely deorbit the International Space Station. ISS extended through 2030 with controlled reentry targeting early 2031.

PROGRAM TRACKER

NASAFunded

ISS Operations Extension Through 2030

~$3B/yr operationsExtended through 2030

ISS operations funded through 2030. Commercial stations must be ready before retirement to prevent a gap in U.S. LEO presence.

Commercial LEO

PROGRAM TRACKER

AXIOMactive

Axiom Space Station

$3.5B+ programPPTM manufacturing; 2027 launch

Leading on hardware maturity. First module attaches to ISS then separates into free-flying station. Revised assembly plan December 2024.

PROGRAM TRACKER

VOYAGER/AIRBUSactive

Starlab Space Station

$40B facilityCCDR Feb 2026

Voyager Space and Airbus JV with strongest financing. Single Starship launch architecture. Completed Critical Concept Design Review February 2026.

PROGRAM TRACKER

BLUE ORIGINDesign Phase

Orbital Reef

TBDSDR Jun 2025; partnership tensions

Blue Origin and Sierra Space partnership. System Design Review completed June 2025. Reports of partnership tensions. Trails Axiom and Starlab on schedule.

PROGRAM TRACKER

VASTactive

Vast Haven-1

$1B+ investedLaunch Q1 2027

Fastest to orbit. First artificial gravity spin experiment planned. Not a NASA CLD awardee but may launch before any CLD station.

Gateway

PROGRAM TRACKER

NASAPaused

Lunar Gateway (PPE + HALO)

$5-7B U.S. elementsPaused Mar 2026

Entire Gateway program paused by NASA in March 2026, with resources redirected toward a lunar surface base. PPE (Maxar) and HALO (Northrop Grumman) in advanced development. ESA decision on hardware disposition expected June 2026.

PROGRAM TRACKER

SPACEXPaused

Dragon XL Gateway Logistics

GLS contractPaused with Gateway

SpaceX Gateway Logistics Services contract for cargo delivery via Dragon XL. Status paused alongside the broader Gateway program pause.

Sovereign Stations

PROGRAM TRACKER

CNSAOperational

China Tiangong Space Station

~$8B est.77 tonnes; expanding to 180 tonnes

Only operational sovereign space station. Three-module T-shape configuration at 77 tonnes, with expansion to 180 tonnes and 6 modules planned. Continuous crewed presence since 2022.

PROGRAM TRACKER

ROSCOSMOSIn Development

Russian Orbital Service Station (ROSS)

TBDPivoted to ISS-based assembly Dec 2025

Russia pivoted ROSS to ISS-based assembly approach in December 2025. First module would attach to ISS before separation.

PROGRAM TRACKER

ISROIn Development

Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS)

~$210M (BAS-1)BAS-1 launch target 2028

India approved the BAS-1 first module at approximately $210M, targeting 2028 launch. Building on Gaganyaan human spaceflight capability.

Future Concepts

CONCEPT

VASTExperiment

Artificial Gravity Spin Test (Haven-1)

Included in Haven-12027

Vast plans the first artificial gravity spin experiment on Haven-1. Foundational test for future rotating habitats and long-duration human spaceflight.

CONCEPT

THEORETICALConcept

O'Neill Cylinders & Stanford Torus

TheoreticalLong-term

Large-scale rotating habitat concepts receiving renewed interest as commercial space station development validates modular construction and artificial gravity approaches.

Sector Profiles

Sector profiles cover 17 programs across ISS transition, commercial LEO destinations, Lunar Gateway, sovereign national stations, and future habitat concepts. Full profiles sourced from verified research across NASA, ESA, CNSA, Roscosmos, ISRO, and official agency announcements.