Advancing U.S. Space Policies and Programs Internationally through Bilateral and Multilateral Engagement and Cooperation

As the International Space Station (ISS) moves toward being deorbited around 2030, NASA is now funding several American companies to develop and operate Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destinations (CLDs). As the United States has started to form a new coalition of space nations through its leadership of the Artemis Accords, China has been forming its own coalition and building the Tiangong station, and Russia has been deploying military capabilities in space. Within this context, the U.S. State Department’s Office of Space Affairs has asked the SIPA Capstone team to develop recommendations for how the United States can support the development of CLDs to maintain its leadership in low Earth orbit (LEO).

First, this project outlined the United States’ policy priorities in LEO and identified which of its interests could be advanced or threatened during this post-ISS transition, including from strategic competitors. Second, it investigated the views of key stakeholders through interviews with U.S. government agencies, European allies, emerging space nations, and CLD companies including Voyager Space, Airbus, Axiom Space, Blue Origin, Sierra Space, and Vast, on the post-ISS transition to commercial space stations. Third, it proposed a policy framework for the development of CLDs which most effectively advances U.S. interests in space, while also maintaining and strengthening cooperation with its allies. The main output of this report was a set of 12 specific recommendations on how the United States government should coordinate and support the development of commercial space stations over the next decade.