The [1]NASA Authorization Act of 2026 has been approved, and alongside a directive for NASA to establish a permanent Moon base, the legislation includes language extending the International Space Station to 2032.

The ISS project [2]was set to end in 2030 . In 2024, NASA [3]awarded a contract to Elon Musk's SpaceX to build a tug to de-orbit the outpost by 2030, assuming it lasts that long. By then the complex's first module will have been in orbit for more than 30 years, and [4]cracks have plagued the structure alongside hardware failures as the laboratory ages. One space agency insider observed that "it's on its last legs."

Then again, in a [5]2024 interview with The Register , ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen said of the ISS: "I wouldn't be surprised if we extended it a few years."

[6]NASA safety watchdog says it's time to rethink Moon landing

[7]Smartphones cleared for launch as NASA loosens the rulebook

[8]Stash or splash? Lawmakers ask NASA to find alternatives for International Space Station

[9]ISS stint ends early as NASA aborts Crew-11 over crew illness

NASA is to begin soliciting proposals for two commercial space stations immediately ( [10]Axiom Space and [11]Vast spring to mind), but, mindful of a potential gap, lawmakers have also directed the agency to keep the ISS running for a few more years – certainly until at least one commercial station is launched and capable of taking over ISS operations.

The Authorization Act further cements Congress's rejection of the [12]dramatic cuts to NASA's budget proposed in 2025. Programs such as the Chandra X-ray Observatory are saved, although the Mars Sample Return mission, as originally envisaged, remains effectively cancelled. The act instead calls on NASA to consider alternative, lower-cost sample return methods.

[13]

While the language surrounding the proposed Moon base evokes the Apollo-era space race, extending the ISS represents a major change of policy and concerns hardware that exists now. It also concerns maintaining a human presence in low Earth orbit, while there remains precious little detail about the Gateway station planned for lunar operations. ®

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[1] https://www.commerce.senate.gov/2026/3/commerce-committee-advances-nasa-reauthorization-act-and-weather-act

[2] https://www.theregister.com/2022/01/05/iss_2030/

[3] https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/27/spacex_wins_iss_deorbit_contract/

[4] https://www.theregister.com/2021/08/31/international_space_station_cracks/

[5] https://www.theregister.com/2024/10/15/esa_astronaut_interview/

[6] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/26/nasa_safety_artemis/

[7] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/06/smartphones_nasa/

[8] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/05/iss_stash_or_splash/

[9] https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/12/iss_command_handover/

[10] https://www.theregister.com/2024/12/19/axiom_space_shuffles_station_assembly/

[11] https://www.theregister.com/2023/05/10/vast_trip_space_station/

[12] https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/02/nasa_funding_slashed/

[13] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aam2t0ilymQQs56x2hmG4QAAA04&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0

[14] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/