---
title: "NASA’s New Goal: A “Robust Economy” of Orbital Space Habitats"
description: "## Robust Low-Earth Orbit Economy"
date: "2019-05-29"
modified: "2019-05-29"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-robust-economy-space-habitats"
categories:
  - "NASA"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "iss"
  - "low earth orbit"
  - "NASA"
  - "SpaceX"
  - "the digest"
---

# NASA’s New Goal: A “Robust Economy” of Orbital Space Habitats

![NASA has selected a number of companies to complete studies about the future of commercial spaceflight in low-Earth orbit.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/nasa-studies-commercial-low-earth-orbit-economy.png>)
*\<em\>Image: Axiom Space\</em\>*

## Robust Low-Earth Orbit Economy

NASA asked 12 spaceflight companies, including Blue Origin and Boeing, to [study the future](<https://www.nasa.gov/feature/study-input-informs-nasa-course-for-a-vibrant-future-commercial-space-economy>) of commercial spaceflight in space — a bid to build a "robust low-Earth orbit economy" without relying on government-funding.

The companies assessed what habitable platforms in space could look like, and found that in-space research laboratories, manufacturing, entertainment, marketing and — of course — space tourism could all turn a huge profit in the long run.

## Barriers to Entry

One major theme the [studies' results](<https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/leo_commercialization_study_results.pdf>) had in common was that economies of scale and growing markets could soon bring down the high costs of entering low-Earth orbit — one of the biggest barriers to entry faced by commercial space companies today.

The news comes after the Trump administration's budget request from last year [didn't include direct funding](<https://futurism.com/trumps-budget-proposal-cuts-international-space-station-funding-2025>) for the ISS past 2024. That's a big omission: the ISS is the only space habitat of its kind currently in operation.

## Private Future

At this point, the studies are mostly just words.

But as the costs of launching both cargo and humans into space [plummets](<https://futurism.com/elon-musk-with-new-spacex-tech-rocket-costs-will-drop-by-a-factor-of-100>), more and more companies are seeing tremendous opportunities in turning low-Earth orbit into a profitable market — and NASA is very encouraging of that.

**READ MORE:** [Space companies propose ways to fill low Earth orbit with commercial habitats](<https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/28/18642653/nasa-commercial-space-low-earth-orbit-international-space-station-habitats>) \[*The Verge*\]

**More on the private sector:** *[Jeff Bezos Just Unveiled Blue Origin's Moon Lander](<https://futurism.com/blue-origin-moon-lander>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)