NASA outlines plans for continuous human presence in space after ISS retirement

NASA plans to maintain a human presence in space after the International Space Station (ISS) retires by 2030. The agency aims to fill the gap with commercial space stations and has released a strategy called “continuous heartbeat” for long-duration missions. The strategy emphasizes missions lasting six months to a year to prepare for future Mars trips. NASA will focus on using commercially owned spacecraft for scientific research and human health studies during the transition to new space stations. NASA also seeks a variety of providers for crew and cargo transport, moving away from reliance on a single company. The agency is currently certifying Boeing’s Starliner program after a failed test flight earlier this year.