Commercial LEO Destinations
NASA public-private program funding commercial replacement space stations in low Earth orbit ahead of ISS retirement.
NASA's Commercial LEO Destinations (CLD) program is funding the development of privately owned and operated space stations to succeed the International Space Station, which is planned for retirement. NASA awarded Phase 1 Space Act Agreements to Blue Origin (Orbital Reef, with Sierra Space), Nanoracks/Voyager Space (Starlab, later joined by Airbus and Northrop Grumman), and Northrop Grumman in December 2021, and separately funded Axiom Space to develop ISS-attached commercial modules that will later detach into a free-flying station (Axiom Station). Vast joined the program in June 2023 via an unfunded Space Act Agreement. The program's Phase 2 acquisition strategy went through significant flux during 2026: NASA proposed a NASA-owned 'core module' concept in March, reversed course in June after industry pushback, and published a draft Phase 2 solicitation in July, with formal Phase 2 awards still pending.
Program detail
- Agency
- NASA
- Acronym
- CLD
- Budget
- $415.6M+ in Phase 1 Space Act Agreement awards (Blue Origin $130M, Voyager/Nanoracks $160M, Northrop Grumman $125.6M), plus a separate award to Axiom Space
- Phase
- Phase 2 acquisition, in active flux during 2026: NASA proposed a NASA-owned 'Ignition' core-module approach (Mar 24, 2026), reversed course after industry pushback and recommitted to a commercial free-flyer model (Jun 1, 2026), then published a draft Phase 2 RFP (Jul 6, 2026, final RFP expected late Aug 2026); Phase 2 Space Act Agreement awards (-1.5B, FY2026-2031) still targeted for later in 2026
- Domain
- space
Participants3
- CompanyAxiom SpaceCommercial human spaceflight services and developer of the world's first commercial space station.
- CompanyBlue OriginReusable launch vehicles, lunar landers, and in-space infrastructure for civil, defense, and commercial customers.
- CompanySierra SpaceCommercial space systems including Dream Chaser spaceplane, habitats, and defense satellites.
Contracts0
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Frequently asked
- What is Commercial LEO Destinations?
- NASA's Commercial LEO Destinations (CLD) program is funding the development of privately owned and operated space stations to succeed the International Space Station, which is planned for retirement. NASA awarded Phase 1 Space Act Agreements to Blue Origin (Orbital Reef, with Sierra Space), Nanoracks/Voyager Space (Starlab, later joined by Airbus and Northrop Grumman), and Northrop Grumman in December 2021, and separately funded Axiom Space to develop ISS-attached commercial modules that will later detach into a free-flying station (Axiom Station). Vast joined the program in June 2023 via an unfunded Space Act Agreement. The program's Phase 2 acquisition strategy went through significant flux during 2026: NASA proposed a NASA-owned 'core module' concept in March, reversed course in June after industry pushback, and published a draft Phase 2 solicitation in July, with formal Phase 2 awards still pending.
- Which agency runs Commercial LEO Destinations?
- Commercial LEO Destinations is run by NASA and is also known as CLD.
- What is the budget for Commercial LEO Destinations?
- Commercial LEO Destinations has a budget of $415.6M+ in Phase 1 Space Act Agreement awards (Blue Origin $130M, Voyager/Nanoracks $160M, Northrop Grumman $125.6M), plus a separate award to Axiom Space, currently in its Phase 2 acquisition, in active flux during 2026: NASA proposed a NASA-owned 'Ignition' core-module approach (Mar 24, 2026), reversed course after industry pushback and recommitted to a commercial free-flyer model (Jun 1, 2026), then published a draft Phase 2 RFP (Jul 6, 2026, final RFP expected late Aug 2026); Phase 2 Space Act Agreement awards (-1.5B, FY2026-2031) still targeted for later in 2026 phase.
Sources & citations3
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