7 Spacecrafts That Could Replace the ISS When It’s Deorbited in 2031

As the International Space Station (ISS) approaches the end of its life, a new era of permanent space occupation is on the horizon. Countries and private companies around the globe are racing to become the next leading space station operators—and more than one may succeed.

Why Is the ISS Being Retired?

Since the first segment of the ISS—Zarya—was launched into orbit by a Proton rocket in 1998, it has grown to incorporate 18 pressurized modules, plus the integrated truss structure which provides attachment points for the space station’s operational technology.

During its nearly three decades of operation, the ISS has undergone continuous dynamic loading, such as spacecraft dockings and undockings, and orbital thermal cycling, which is the repeated heating and cooling cycle it experiences as it orbits our planet. Such stresses and strains have led to wear and tear on the ISS, and it’s becoming increasingly expensive to maintain.

Maintenance costs aside, the ISS has to be safe, since it usually has around seven people onboard at any given point. Over time, degrading hardware could cause it to become a dangerous place to be, and nobody wants to see a repeat of the events of the Soviet Union’s Salyut space station in 1985, which lost communication with Earth and drifted uncontrollably until it was rescued by two cosmonauts.

What’s more, as space technology advances, the ISS’s modules and components may no longer be compatible with future platforms. “Much of the structural hardware on the station was designed and built in the late 1990s and 2000s,” says NASA.

There’s no denying that the ISS’s retirement will be a sad event, with nearly 300 astronauts, cosmonauts, and other participants visiting the spacecraft, and over 3,000 experiments being conducted onboard. However, this presents an opportunity for new, exciting ventures in the near future.

Tiangong Space Station

The Tiangong Space Station, which comprises three modules, is a T-shaped station that already orbits low Earth. It was China’s home-brewed answer to the ISS.

However, in 2023, in an attempt to increase Tiangong’s international appeal, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) invited foreign astronauts onto its space station, welcoming “countries and regions committed to the peaceful use of outer space to cooperate […] and participate in the Chinese space station missions.” That said, at the time of writing (February 2025), Tiangong has yet to house any individuals from overseas.

Axiom Station

As with most space stations, Axiom will comprise several components. First, the so-called Payload Power Thermal module will attach to the ISS, before it becomes autonomous and is joined by a habitat module, an airlock, another habitat module, and, finally, the station’s research and manufacturing module, which also has an Earth observatory. Construction of the first module’s primary structures is underway.

Dubbed “the world’s first commercial space station,” Axiom is hoped to provide “astronauts with advanced capabilities for space exploration in a commercially developed human system needed to access, live, and work in low-Earth orbit, on the Moon, and beyond.”

Orbital Reef

According to Space Sierra, one of Orbital Reef’s two principal operational partners, this spacecraft will be the “premier mixed-use space station in low Earth orbit for commerce, research, and tourism.” The station’s primary focus will be accessibility and flexibility, and its name nods to the fact that it will be a diverse and self-sustainable ecosystem, just like a coral reef in the ocean.

As of February 2025, Orbital Reef is still in its testing phase, with physical construction yet to begin. However, Jeff Bezos, the owner of Blue Origin, has ambitious plans to make the station “humanity’s boldest step into space.”

Starlab

While other potential ISS replacements have eyes on commercial considerations, Starlab is intended to be exactly what its name suggests: a laboratory for groundbreaking research, innovation, discovery, and technological advancement. Its inflatable structure will allow it to be transported in one flight.

Preparations for Starlab’s operation are progressing well. In December 2024, NASA announced that the Starlab project had passed four key milestones of the NASA Space Act Agreement—reviews of the habitat structural test article preliminary design, systems integration, integrated operations, and a habitat structural test plan—after passing structural tests earlier in the year.

Bharatiya Antariksha Station

India’s plan to orbit the Bharatiya Antariksha Station (BAS) around Earth is part of the country’s official plan to “foster high-performance biomanufacturing” by working on “areas such as microgravity research, space biotechnology, space biomanufacturing, bioastronautics, and space biology.” The project is intended to promote collaboration, conduct groundbreaking research, and benefit all nations globally.

In the long term, the BAS is hoped to enable a crewed lunar mission by 2040. India has committed over $2.3 million to the project, with an additional reserve of nearly $1.3 million for further development down the line.

Airbus LOOP

Airbus has been involved in space exploration for decades, but the company hopes its LOOP spacecraft will go one step further by making “long-term stays in space comfortable and enjoyable for its inhabitants, while supporting efficient and sustainable operations.”

LOOP’s structure will be unique, hosting three interconnected stories within a singular module. The top floor will be the habitation deck where the crew will live and exercise, the middle floor will be a science deck, and the bottom floor will be a centrifuge that will create Earth-gravity-like conditions on the other two decks.

Airbus is part of the team developing Starlab, which is set to come first. This means that Airbus LOOP is still in its conceptual phase.

Vast Haven-2

Vast Haven-2 is expected to support “long-term living and thriving in space” and offer large, state-of-the-art labs for microgravity research and in-space manufacturing. The craft will also have a module dedicated to international partners, where other nations can jump on board and make the most of its facilities.

This space station is planned to be bigger, more functional, and more operationally efficient than all other proposed ISS replacements. First, Vast Space will launch Haven-1—a commercial space station—in 2026, and it then hopes to put Haven-2—the ISS’s successor—in 2028.

Don’t despair: The ISS isn’t going anywhere just yet, and you’ll still be able to track and see it as it passes overhead for a few more years!