There is a danger that the commercial replacements the US was hoping for won't be ready in time for the deadline for the International Space Station's decommission.
On New Year's Eve, Nasa announced that the administration of Biden-Harris wanted to extend the operation of the space station by six years.
Europe, Japan, Canada and Russia must agree with Nasa's participation. The director general of the ESA, Josef Aschbacher, has already supported the organization.
Keeping Russia as a full partner may be more difficult. The first part of a national space station would be a research and power module, according to Tass.
Three private companies were awarded grants by Nasa to develop space station designs. They will not be ready for launch by 2024, so an extension to 2030.
A proposal by Axiom Space to build a commercial module for the International Space Station that could be detached to become a private space station is also in the running. When the International Space Station is retired, Nasa will be able to continue its research programme by simply moving their crews to the commercial stations.
