NASA Wants More Private Use of the ISS

Space is often seen as the biggest adventure left for the human race and when it comes to finding out more about space we often have to use a platform in space to help launch and explore. The International Space Station (ISS) is often used to help study the effects of space on different things, but what about all those companies that are looking at space as the next place for business? Now the ISS could be the starting block thanks to NASA’s recent proposal.

The latest request for information from NASA is looking to see what the ISS could do to boost commercial activity within space. In particular, NASA is looking to “foster a self-sustaining marketplace in low-Earth orbit (LEO)”.

NASA is looking to find out just what the ISS could do with them describing the industry as “more innovative than we’d imagined and has ideas to use stations”. William Gerstenmaier, the associate administrator for NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorates explained that NASA is “asking [the] industry to help us understand how best to offer these unique capabilities, such as unused attachment ports or non-standard attachment sites, to commercial users. I’m looking forward to seeing how the private sector responds”.

What kinds of business would you like to see advertised from the ISS? Are you looking at getting the first low orbit parts shop or how about the first low orbit sports arena? Ok maybe that’s a little too out there, for now.