NASA Sets Prices for Commercial Space Station Crew and Cargo Missions

NASA’s new request for proposals assigns clear prices for future crew and cargo transport missions to commercial space stations. By 2030, NASA estimates that a four-seat passenger flight will cost $325 million, while a cargo flight will cost $300 million.

By offering to fund these initial missions, NASA is reducing a significant financial burden for commercial space station providers already responsible for designing, testing and launching orbital facilities.

Commercial Space Station Companies React to NASA’s RFP

As of Friday afternoon, potential bidders were still reviewing NASA’s lengthy proposals. Several companies, however, had shared their initial reactions to the agency’s final request for proposals.

Voyager Space Station Starlab

“The announcement of the RFP is an important milestone,” said Marshall Smith, chief executive officer of Voyager Space Station Starlab. “We are grateful that NASA has incorporated feedback from both industry and government. We believe Star Lab has a strong business plan and technical solutions to be America’s next space station, and we look forward to competing.”

Axiom Space

Axiom Space also welcomed NASA’s final RFP announcement.

“Our team is currently actively reviewing the RFP and working tirelessly on the next steps in the process,” an Axiom Space spokesperson said. “With years of experience in executing human spaceflight missions and developing orbital hardware, we are confident that the proposal we will provide to NASA will prove Axiom Space to be the clear choice to achieve NASA’s objectives in low Earth orbit.”

Vast and Haven-1

Vast also said it was ready to compete.

“Vast looks forward to competing for the opportunity to build a commercial successor to the ISS,” a company spokesperson said. “We are in the process of final integration with Haven-1 and are ready to continue building towards a multi-module station capable of supporting continued human presence.”