NASA releases draft RFP for Commercial LEO Destinations space stations
NASA issued a draft RFP for Commercial LEO Destinations, planning to fund at least two station builders in early development.
what happened
NASA released a draft request for proposals for its Commercial LEO Destinations (CLD) program on July 6, seeking industry feedback ahead of a July 9 industry briefing at Johnson Space Center and a July 27 feedback deadline. NASA plans to award firm-fixed-price, multi-award indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts, selecting two or more companies for early development before competing task orders for final design, testing, and certification, with a crewed flight test targeted for 2029.
why it matters
The draft RFP confirms NASA is funding multiple commercial successors to the International Space Station rather than narrowing to one provider, after a spring pivot away from standalone station support raised doubts about the program's direction. Companies developing candidate stations, including Vast, Axiom Space, Voyager Technologies' Starlab, and Blue Origin, now have a concrete timeline and contract structure to plan against.
for who
Commercial space station builders, ISS-successor customers
signal-to-noise
quick facts
- Companies
- NASA
- Category
- procurement
- Impact
- notable
- SNR
- 5 / 5
- Event date
- 2026-07-06
- Published
- 2026-07-08 10:03 UTC