Models for Facilitating Government-Funded Activities in the Post-ISS LEO Ecosystem

This study helps elucidate NASA’s future options for facilitating government-funded activities in
the post–International Space Station (ISS) low-Earth orbit (LEO) ecosystem. NASA is preparing
for the retirement of the ISS and transition of LEO activities to one or more Commercial LEO
Destinations (CLDs) by 2030. This transition necessitates new models for connecting NASA
and other users of the LEO environment to platforms and opportunities. As the LEO ecosystem
evolves through growth of the commercial space industry and NASA’s strategic goal to support
the development of a robust LEO economy in which many stakeholders on Earth can participate, so must the way NASA facilitates government activities to ensure citizens realize the
highest return on their investment in LEO. Specifically, this study aims to answer the question:
What are potential models for an ISS National Lab facilitating government-funded or
-subsidized activities on a commercial LEO platform after the transition of the ISS to one
or more private platforms?