Retirement plan for International Space Station

The International Space Station (ISS) is a modular orbital complex with two main segments, the Russian and US segments operated by NASA and Roscosmos. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA( along with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) are partners as well. The first module was deployed in 1998, with the assembly completed in 2011. Till the Chinese Tiangong station completed assembly and configuration in 2022, the ISS was the only operational orbital complex for conducting microgravity research. Now the ISS is ageing, Russia plans to pull out of the collaboration by 2028, and NASA is looking at options for continuing human presence in Earth orbit. 

Illustration of the Orbital Reef CLD. (Image Credit: Blue Origin). 

NASA has commissioned SpaceX to develop a larger, more powerful version of its Dragon spacecraft as a deorbital tug for the ISS at the end of its operations, expected in the early 2030s. Russia plans to deploy its own orbital complex, the Russian Orbital Station (ROS), with the first module expected to be launched in 2028. India too plans to deploy the first module of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS) in the same year. NASA is partnering with a number private American companies to develop the next generation of orbital complexes. These are known as Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destinations or CLDs, that may be launched independently, or be initially attached to the ISS before splitting off. The ISS may just 'give birth' to the next generation of orbital complexes. 

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The most aggressive of these companies is Vast, that plans to deploy a single-module space station and ferry a crew to demonstrate the necessary capabilities to earn NASA's support next year. This is known as the Haven-1 station. Axiom Space, that already has operational experience in ferrying commercial missions to the ISS also plans to deploy its own Axiom Station, that will initially be attacked to the ISS as a module before splitting off. Blue Origin, along with Sierra Space and Boeing are planning to deploy the Orbital Reef, with Voyager Space working on Starlab. Lockheed Martin was initially the partner for Starlab, which has been replaced by Airbus. Right now there are only two orbital complexes, by the end of the next decade, there may be more than seven.