NASA wants to deorbit the International Space Station before the end of this decade.
The space agency and Congress want a commercial replacement in orbit before the ISS is trashed in the Pacific Ocean.
Axiom Space, a startup founded by a former NASA executive, is working to build, launch, and assemble "AxStation," an all-private outpost.
After 20 years of continual human habitation, the International Space Station — a football field-size laboratory that zips around Earth a more than 17,000 mph — is at a crossroads.
On the other hand, the facility is no spring chicken: Congress wants it be vacated and destroyed by the end of 2030.
In turn, NASA could save billions for year while having access to a new, state-of-the-art facility.
An illustration of AxStation, the first private space station being designed and built by Axiom Space. »
