As of October 8, 2022 over 2400 experiments have been performed on the ISS since it became fully operational in 2009. The breakdown of the types of experiments and the sponsoring space agency are provided in the following charts.
For the eight years remaining before ISS is decommissioned in 2030, NASA is actively working to attract commercial activities on ISS. NASA is currently soliciting and offering financial assistance for research proposals focused on in-space production applications (InSPA) in the following areas:
| AREAS OF INTEREST | EXAMPLES OF TECHNOLOGIES |
|---|---|
| Crystal Production | Inorganic crystals Large molecule crystals Small molecule crystals Uniform crystals Industrial crystals |
| Thin Film Deposition | Artificial retina Semiconductors Graphene |
| Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine | Disease modeling Tissue chips Oregonoids Stem cells 3-D biofabrication |
| Advanced Materials | Metal organic frameworks Meta-materials Ceramics Containerless processing Exotic glasses and fibers Alloys |
Additionally, NASA will consider fields that have not yet been fully explored that could lead to a scalable, self-sustaining demand for future commercial platforms in low-Earth orbit.
Looking to the future, NASA is working with other U.S. government agencies, industry and academia to define national priorities and high-value opportunities for advanced materials and manufacturing that will ensure continued U.S. preeminence in several emerging in-space production technologies.