When viewed in the history of spaceflight, the International Space Station is perhaps one of humanity’s most amazing accomplishments, a shining example of cooperation in space among the United States, Europe, Canada, Japan and Russia. In 2030, the International Space Station will be deorbited: driven into a remote area of the Pacific Ocean. Astronauts performing research inside the space station and payload experiments attached to the station’s exterior have generated many publications in peer-reviewed science journals. In December 2021, NASA announced three awards to help develop privately owned, commercially operated space stations in low-Earth orbit. Dawn of commercial space stationsIn September 2025, NASA issued a draft announcement for Phase 2 partnership proposals for commercial space stations.