What will you do in Low Earth Orbit (LEO)? Northrop Grumman is considering all the possibilities. From science, research and manufacturing to media production and STEM outreach, the possibilities for the future are growing exponentially with our Commercial Space Station concept.

After 25 years of operating the International Space Station, NASA is planning for the next phase of low-Earth orbit human habitation. It has contracted with Northrop Grumman to develop a concept for a new station that builds on our expertise in human exploration and logistics.

As we forge a path into commercial LEO, we are bringing with us all the experience and capabilities we have built with NASA and other customers. Over the last 15 months, we have been working with partners to discover and evaluate commercial possibilities for the new station and invigorate the growing space economy in low earth orbit.

Hitting Major Milestones

In January, our team met with NASA and successfully conducted the marketing and business plan milestone review.  The team provided an update on our marketing and business development strategy and business model to attract customers and add additional partners to help develop the commercial LEO economy.

This milestone paved the way for our recent completion of the System Requirements Review (SRR), a major milestone in the progress of Commercial Space Station from concept into preliminary design. The SRR with NASA examined the functional, technical, performance, and security requirements for our concept. It marks a tangible step forward that, paired with our ongoing outreach to commercial partners, brings our station concept one step closer to reality.

So, what will you do in LEO? At Northrop Grumman we are seeing that the possibilities for commercial space continue to expand along with the stakeholders that can make it a reality.