NASA Opens Space Station for Private Use

The International Space Station will soon be open for private companies and astronauts to use, indicating NASA is pushing ahead with privatization of the orbiting capsule.

NASA made the announcement Friday morning, saying the decision to open the ISS to private entities will lead to continued innovation in the space realm.

"The agency's ultimate goal in low-Earth orbit is to partner with industry to achieve a strong ecosystem in which NASA is one of many customers purchasing services and capabilities at lower cost," the NASA release reads.

Some of the costs include $22,500 per day for the use of crew supplies and $11,250 per day for the use of the ISS's regenerative life support and toilet.

As part of the new offering, NASA will allow private astronaut missions lasting as long as 30 days on the ISS, beginning in 2020.

"For more than 18 years, humans have lived and worked aboard the International Space Station, conducting thousands of experiments in areas such as human research, biology, and physical science, as well as advanced technology development," NASA wrote.

"Many of these experiments, conducted via the ISS National Lab, have been research and development with commercial objectives.  New opportunities are needed to move beyond research and development, and the station will play an essential role in enabling those opportunities for new commercial markets needed to build a sustainable ecosystem in low-Earth orbit."

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