Beyond the ISS: Leaders Look to the Future of Commercial LEO Platforms ++

Beyond the ISS: Leaders Look to the Future of Commercial LEO Platforms https://issnationallab.org/iss360/post-iss-leo-economy-commercial-space-stations/ June 16, 2026 • By Amelia Williamson Smith, Sr. Manager, Scientific Communications & Content This article is part of a series highlighting sessions from the ISS International Space Station National Lab track at the 2026 ASCEND conference in Washington, D.C. The ISS National Lab hosted a full day of programming highlighting advances in space-based R&D, how the ISS National Lab enables innovation in orbit, and the growing low Earth orbit (Abbreviation: LEO) The orbit around the Earth that extends up to an altitude of 2,000 km (1,200 miles) from Earth’s surface. The International Space Station’s orbit is in LEO, at an altitude of approximately 250 miles. economy. By the Numbers: The ISS National Lab’s Impact on the LEO Economy https://issnationallab.org/iss360/by-the-numbers-space-research-iss-national-lab-impact/ June 17, 2026 • By Amelia Williamson Smith, Sr. Manager, Scientific Communications & Content This article is part of a series highlighting sessions from the ISS International Space Station National Lab track at the 2026 ASCEND conference in Washington, D.C. The ISS National Lab hosted a full day of programming highlighting advances in space-based R&D, how the ISS National Lab enables innovation in orbit, and the growing low Earth orbit (Abbreviation: LEO) The orbit around the Earth that extends up to an altitude of 2,000 km (1,200 miles) from Earth’s surface. The International Space Station’s orbit is in LEO, at an altitude of approximately 250 miles. economy.