NASA issues long-awaited call to industry for private space stations

"We’ve made it clear that NASA will never give up its presence in low Earth orbit."

The short version

• These new documents finally provide some answers.
• NASA’s solicitation can be found here .
• Industry responses are due back to NASA on December 8.

What happened

NASA said it plans to select “two or more” contractors in this phase of the competition, and intends to make a final decision in April. Bidders for this funding phase will certainly include Axiom Space, Voyager Space, and Vast Space.

Why it matters

Blue Origin won an earlier round of funding from NASA, but questions remain about the company’s commitment to the program.

Summary by Nerd News Network. Read the full article at Ars Technica via the links above and below.