Use wechat to scan the QR code < / P > < p > to share with friends and circle of friends < / P > < p > according to foreign media reports, < a target = "_ blank" href=" https://news.163.com/news/search?keyword=%E7%BE%8E%E5%9B%BD%E5%AE%87%E8%88%AA%E5%B1%80 "> NASA < / a > (< a target ="_ blank" href=" https://news.163.com/news/search?keyword=NASA "> NASA < / a >) recently announced the so-called" commercial low earth orbit destination "(CLD) project, which plans to grant a total of $400 million to four companies in the fourth quarter of 2021 to help start the development of a private space station to replace the aging international space station. < / P > < p > < / P > < p > Figure 1: July 1, 2020, < a target = "_ blank" href=" https://news.163.com/news/search?keyword=SpaceX "> SpaceX < / a > manned dragon spacecraft docking with the International Space Station < / P > < p > Phil McAlister, director of NASA CLD program, said:" the low earth orbit field mainly involves three aspects, namely, cargo transportation, < a target = "_ blank" href=" https://news.163.com/news/search?keyword=%E5%AE%87%E8%88%AA%E5%91%98 "> astronauts < / a > transport and deploy the space station. Previously, these three activities were fully undertaken by NASA. But if that continues to be the case, our ambitions in low earth orbit will always be limited by NASA's lack of budget. By bringing the private sector into these areas, as suppliers and users, you expand the overall scope of this area, and more people will arrive in low earth orbit. " < / P > < p > NASA will become the user of the space station, not the owner and operator. This cost saving is one of the key motivations of the CLD project. The international space station costs NASA about $4 billion a year to operate. In addition, a total of $150 billion was spent on the development and construction of the international space station, most of which was borne by NASA and funded by Russia, Europe, Japan and Canada. < / P > < p > another motivation for launching CLD project is the serious aging of the ISS hardware, because most of the core structures of the ISS were manufactured in the 1990s, and the final pressurized structures were added in 2011. Last year, Russian astronauts worked hard to fix a hole in the space station module. "The ISS is an amazing system, but unfortunately it won't last forever, and there may be unrecoverable anomalies at any time," McAllister said < / P > < p > Figure 2: NASA is opening the international space station to tourists, and completed its first attempt as early as 2020. < / P > < p > NASA regards CLD project as a way for companies to participate in the development and construction of new space habitats in the next few years, so that the agency has more choices before the retirement of the international space station. McAllister said that in addition to the CLD program, NASA also provided the_ blank" href=" https://news.163.com/news/search?keyword=%E8%88%AA%E5%A4%A9%E5%85%AC%E5%8F%B8 "> aerospace company < / a > axiom space awarded a $140 million contract to build modules for the international space station. When the ISS is decommissioned, axiom plans to separate its modules and transform it into a space station that can fly independently. < / P > < p > McAllister said: "we are making progress in this area and are very happy about it. We want to compete in the supply side, and that's why we launched CLD. " A spokesman for axiom said in a statement that the company "widely supports NASA's vision of building a multi supplier economy in the Leo program." "We are raising private funds to design and develop the world's first commercial space destination to prove that real commercial leadership can drive the development of the Leo economy," he said. The construction of the axiom space station, initially as an extension of the international space station, will expand the work that can be done on the station in the short term and achieve a timely and seamless transition at the end of the service life of the international space station. " < / P > < p > the list of organizations registered by NASA to attend the briefing shows a variety of aerospace companies, including Airbus America, blue origin, Boeing, Collins aerospace, firefly, general dynamics, ISPACE, Lockheed Martin, Moog, nanoracks, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Redwire space, ruag Space, Sierra Nevada, SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, virgin orbit, Voyager space holdings, and York space systems. < / P > < p > one of the companies has announced that it will soon announce its plans for a private space station. Sierra Nevada said it would hold a virtual press conference on March 31 to disclose the design of the SNC space station. NASA will release the final announcement of the CLD project in May, and the funding for the first phase is expected to be awarded between October and December. NASA Johnson Space Center will manage the CLD program through its commercial development office. (small) < / P > < p >