The candidates to replace the International Space Station

Two decades ago, in 2000, the International Space Station became operational, keeping humans in orbit pretty much every day since; but eventually it will have to be replaced, here are the projects that could be the answer.

NASA plans to put a station in the moon’s orbit. You read it right, in the moon’s. Called the Lunar Gateway, it would host astronauts before they land on the lunar surface as part of the space agency’s deep exploration programme.

Bezos is everywhere, thanks to Amazon’s ubiquity. Now, his company is going to be in space too. Blue Origin hopes to build a “mixed-use business park” and is promising access to media, tourists, astronauts and researchers.

Nanoracks, Voyager Space and Lockheed Martin plan to collaborate on a space station called Starlab by 2027, which would be Lockheed’s first free-flying station.

Space infrastructure company Axiom plans to launch a commercial module to the ISS that will later become an independent station of its own, with access for researchers, astronauts and tourists. The company plans to have it ready by 2028.