Commercial Opportunities at International Space Station

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NASA will announce the agency’s plans to open the International Space Station to expanded commercial activities at 10 a.m. EDT Friday, June 7, at Nasdaq in New York City. The news conference will be carried live on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

Participants in the news briefing are:

• Jeff DeWit, chief financial officer, NASA Headquarters
• Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator, NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters
• Robyn Gatens, deputy director, International Space Station, NASA Headquarters

The panelists will discuss NASA’s near-term, five-point plan to enable commercial and marketing activities aboard the International Space Station, with a long-term goal to achieve a robust economy in low-Earth orbit from which NASA can purchase services as one of many customers. The commercialization of low-Earth orbit will enable NASA to focus resources on landing the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024, as the first phase in creating a sustainable lunar presence to prepare for future missions to Mars.

Media who would like to participate in person or by phone must contact Stephanie Schierholz at stephanie.schierholz@nasa.gov or 202-358-4997 no later than noon, Thursday, June 6. Questions may be submitted on Twitter during the teleconference using the hashtag #askNASA.

NASA’s plan addresses both the supply-side and demand-side for a new economy, enabling use of government resources for commercial activities, creating the opportunity for private astronaut missions to the space station, enabling commercial destinations in low-Earth orbit, identifying and pursuing activities that foster new and emerging markets, and quantifying NASA’s long-term demand for activities in low-Earth orbit.

The plan is informed by recommendations 12 companies made in recent market studies to assess the potential growth of a low-Earth orbit economy and how to best stimulate private demand for commercial human spaceflight and other commercial and marketing activities in low-Earth orbit.