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ISS National Laboratory | Institution Profile

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INSTITUTION PROFILE / SPACE INDUSTRY

ISS National Laboratory
The nonprofit that manages non-NASA use of the International Space Station

"ISS National Laboratory" is a designation Congress gave to the U.S. part of the International Space Station (ISS). It is run by a nonprofit, CASIS, under a cooperative agreement with NASA, and it invites, selects and connects research and company experiments with funding and flight opportunities. It does not run the station, set safety rules, license launches or decide space policy. This profile looks at one question: what the ISS National Lab can decide in the space industry, and what it cannot.

Sources: the ISS National Lab's website and press releases, NASA announcements, a NASA strategy document and budget request, NASA Inspector General reports, and public data from filings with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (Form 990). Checked 17 October 2026.

A concept linking experiment preparation to orbital use. User support, transport, flight decisions and commercialisation are not necessarily handled by one body or at one stage.
Conceptual illustration generated with ImageGen. A concept linking experiment preparation to orbital use. User support, transport, flight decisions and commercialisation are not necessarily handled by one body or at one stage.Not an actual product, facility, measurement or dimensional design. Distinguish full-scale hardware from enlarged models. Lines, arrows and colours are explanatory graphics.
What this article covers
  1. The ISS National Lab in 30 seconds
  2. What kind of body it is: the four types of influence
  3. What it does in the space industry
  4. How far its influence reaches (powers and geography): what it can and cannot decide
  5. Related organisations and companies
  6. Outlook
  7. Glossary, references and claim-to-source audit

1. The ISS National Lab in 30 seconds

FULL NAMEISS National LaboratoryRun by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, Inc. (CASIS). "National laboratory" is a designation made by Congress
COUNTRYUnited StatesThe operating organisation is a Florida corporation (per its website)
TYPE OF BODYNonprofit (operating under a NASA cooperative agreement)Not a government agency. The IRS category is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
ESTABLISHEDDesignated 2005; operator since 2011The NASA Authorization Act of 2005 designated the U.S. part of the ISS. NASA announced its selection of CASIS on 13 July 2011
STAFFCurrent size not foundThe latest figure we could find is from October 2017: 65 positions (43 employees, 3 executives, 19 vacancies)
BUDGET OR SCALERevenue of US$17.3 millionYear to September 2025 (Form 990 filed with the IRS): revenue US$17,343,230, expenses US$17,833,864. We could not find the latest NASA funding amount
ROLE IN THE SPACE INDUSTRYA window and organiser for non-NASA useIt runs at least 50% of the ISS research slots on the U.S. side
REACHWithin the U.S. side's research slotsIt has no power over station operations, regulation or policy
The one thing to grasp first

The ISS National Lab is not a laboratory building. It is a way of running the use of the ISS. In 2005 Congress designated the U.S. part of the ISS a national laboratory, and a 2010 law told NASA to enter a cooperative agreement with a nonprofit to manage at least 50% of NASA's research capacity Sourced. CASIS chooses whose non-NASA experiments fly in those slots, but NASA decides how the station is run, the crew, safety, and the yearly priorities and allocation guidelines (according to NASA's 2020 strategy document) Sourced.

2. What kind of body it is: the four types of influence

Institutions in the space industry differ from companies. What separates them is the route by which they influence the industry, and that gives four types. The ISS National Lab is a "Convening" body: it brings users, funding and company-owned facilities together. It does make small awards to researchers and entrepreneurs, but organising is its main job.

The four types of institution that move the space industry Institutions do not sell products like companies do. They differ in how they influence the industry Funding Policy & regulation Standards Convening Pays for research Strategy, licences, law Test and safety rules Labs and industry bodies NASA / ESA / DARPA FAA / IN-SPACe ECSS / CCSDS / ISO ISS National Lab What to develop Who may launch How to design and verify Who meets whom Reach: own budget Reach: own territory Reach: adopters Reach: participants The ISS National Lab is the "Convening" type: a window that matches users, funds and facilities Same industry, different type of body: what each one can decide differs completely
Fig. 1 The four types of institution in the space industry, and where the ISS National Lab sits. The classification is our own, and the institution names are examples Our calculation. It also makes small awards, so it has some of the character of a "Funding" body, but its main role is organising.

3. What it does in the space industry

The ISS National Lab's work is to invite and select research and company experiments for the ISS slots, connect them with funding and opportunities, and publicise results. The table shows the position as of 17 October 2026.

AreaWhat happensStatus
Organising useCASIS receives "at least 50% of the U.S. research allocation", and NASA manages the rest. On 2 September 2026 CASIS said that more than 1,000 sponsored payloads had reached the station since August 2011. It says that nearly 60% of the payloads during its management came from private-sector entities. In 2025 there were 114, a recordSourced (CASIS's own figures)
Funding and opportunitiesIn 2024, US$7 million went to five multi-flight cancer research projects through NASA's "Igniting Innovation" solicitation. In its Orbital Edge Accelerator for entrepreneurs, six startups each received US$500,000 from investment partners (December 2025 release). More than 90 projects have been funded through agencies such as the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (September 2026 release)Sourced
Company facilitiesCommercial facilities on the station grew from two when CASIS began to 25 in the December 2025 release and 24 in the September 2026 release. The two numbers disagree, and we could not find out whySourced (the numbers differ)
Publishing resultsPeer-reviewed papers: more than 630 in the December 2025 release and more than 675 in the September 2026 release. More than 75 papers appeared in FY2025 (October 2024 to September 2025)Sourced (CASIS's own figures)
Contract historyNASA selected CASIS in 2011 and signed a 10-year cooperative agreement. It was extended in July 2017 to September 2024, in September 2022 to 2027, and on 4 December 2025 to 2030. We could not find the value or terms of the extensionSourced (the term) Not yet confirmed (the amount)
A materials engineer's view: the ISS as a test bed for the space environment

CASIS's announcement lists advanced materials, in-space manufacturing, Earth observation and technology development among its research areas Sourced. For materials makers, this means a chance to test materials in the real orbital environment (vacuum, radiation, repeated temperature swings), sometimes available through a window like this one. This profile does not cover any particular material or company experiment. Our explainers on the space environment and its effects on materials, space manufacturing and microgravity, and microgravity drug discovery and protein crystallisation give useful background.

4. How far its influence reaches (powers and geography): what it can and cannot decide

Here is a one-glance split of what the ISS National Lab can and cannot do.

What the ISS National Lab can decide, and what it cannot Left: what it carries out on its own responsibility. Right: what other bodies decide (the arrow points to who) What the ISS National Lab can do What it cannot decide Select non-NASA users' experiments How at least 50% of the research slots are used Run grants, prizes and accelerators Example: Orbital Edge Accelerator Bring firms, universities, agencies together Co-funding with NSF and NIH in some cases Publish results and hear from users A User Advisory Committee gives input Station operations, crew and safety → NASA (the station's operator) Yearly priorities, allocation guidelines → NASA (manages the cooperative agreement) Licences for private launch and reentry → Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) When the ISS ends, and national policy → Congress and NASA (retirement planned for 2030) The ISS National Lab decides how a slot is used. It makes no rules and does not own the station
Fig. 2 What the ISS National Lab can decide, and what it cannot. Sources: NASA's strategy document (2020), CASIS announcements (December 2025 and September 2026), NASA's FY2027 budget request, and the FAA's commercial space page. The way the two sides are paired is our own Our calculation.
AspectWhat the ISS National Lab hasWhat it does not have
PowersPrioritising at least 50% of NASA's U.S.-side research slots (within NASA's guidelines), recruiting and selecting users, and making small awardsStation operations, the allocation of crew time itself, safety decisions, regulation and policy. NASA's 2020 plan says NASA's own ISS National Lab Program Executive holds the budget, strategy and NASA liaison role, updates the yearly priorities through the cooperative agreement, and issues guidelines for allocating slots
Legal basisThe NASA Authorization Act of 2005 (designating the U.S. part of the ISS a national laboratory) and the NASA Authorization Act of 2010 (requiring a cooperative agreement with a nonprofit)Rule-making power. The law told NASA to enter into a cooperative agreement; it did not give CASIS licensing or regulatory powers
GeographyWithin the research slots on the U.S. side of the ISS (NASA's share)Other partners' allocations and the Russian segment. NASA's plan treats the slots as 50% of NASA's share. We could not find how far non-U.S. users can use them
DurationThe cooperative agreement now runs to 2030 (extended 4 December 2025)The power to set the station's lifetime. NASA plans to retire the ISS in 2030
ScaleRevenue of US$17,343,230 and expenses of US$17,833,864 for the year to September 2025. When announced in 2011, the agreement was worth "up to $15 million per year" initially. CASIS received about US$109 million from NASA from 2011 through FY2018 (Independent Review Team report)We could not find the value of NASA's latest cooperative agreement or the current number of staff (in October 2017, 19 of 65 positions were vacant)
Reading the numbers with care

Even a count of "payloads" differs by source and by how it is counted. In September 2026 CASIS said "more than 1,000 since August 2011" and "nearly 60% from the private sector during its management". NASA's FY2027 budget request says "more than 900 since 2012" and "80% from the private sector over the past four fiscal years". The starting points and periods differ, so the numbers cannot be compared directly Sourced. The count of commercial facilities is also 25 in one CASIS release and 24 in the next. And the US$17.3 million is the revenue of CASIS, the organisation that runs the lab, not the cost of running the ISS or NASA's space station budget. The Form 990 data do not let us separate out NASA's money Not yet confirmed.

5. Related organisations and companies

Under the laws of Congress and its agreement with NASA, the ISS National Lab connects users, funders and the station's commercial facilities. Fig. 3 shows only relationships documented in primary sources.

The ISS National Lab and who it deals with Under Congress's law and its NASA agreement, it connects users, funds and facilities. Documented ties only U.S. Congress Designated in 2005; agreement required in 2010 NASA Agreement partner; runs the other 50% ISS National Lab (CASIS) Window for non-NASA use Researchers and firms Firms, universities, institutes Funders Agencies, companies, investors Commercial facilities Equipment owned by companies About 60% of payloads private Stanford, Mayo Clinic, Merck, Procter & Gamble, Goodyear and others (CASIS's list) NSF, NIH and others: 90+ NASA call: five cancer projects Boeing and MassChallenge: a joint technology prize From 2 to 24-25 Two at the start 25 in the Dec 2025 release, 24 in the Sep 2026 release It connects people; users and companies do the experiments and own the equipment Other companies are not shown: only ties found in primary sources are drawn
Fig. 3 The ISS National Lab and relationships documented in primary sources. Sources: CASIS announcements (4 and 18 December 2025 and 2 September 2026), NASA's FY2027 budget request and NASA's strategy document (2020). The layout is our own Our calculation.

CASIS's September 2026 release names universities, hospitals, drug makers and consumer-goods makers among its users. This is CASIS's own list of examples, and it does not mean the ISS National Lab recommended or rated any company's products. Among the candidate companies for this series' company profiles, none had a relationship with the ISS National Lab that we could confirm in primary sources. Our explainers on space manufacturing and microgravity, on low-orbit constellations, and on national space strategies and regulation give useful background.

6. Outlook

What can be read from the sourcesSupporting primary sourceStatus
CASIS will run the lab until 2030 (the cooperative agreement extension)CASIS's announcement of 4 December 2025. NASA's FY2027 budget request puts the ISS's retirement in 2030Sourced (the extension)
The ISS is planned to retire in 2030, and its commercial successors are still being prepared. NASA's FY2027 request for commercial low-Earth-orbit development is US$299.7 million (a request, not yet enacted)NASA's FY2027 budget request (the "Commercial LEO Development" table). Not an enacted amountNot yet confirmed
What becomes of the "ISS National Laboratory" designation and of CASIS's role after 2030Not stated in the sources we checked. CASIS says it also helps validate new technologies and facilities to prepare for the move to commercial low-Earth-orbit destinations (December 2025 release)Not yet confirmed
CASIS's role may continue in some form after the ISS, as a window that connects users with commercial stationsCASIS describes a role in preparing for the transition. Contracts and designations after 2030 are unconfirmedInference
Whether the division of roles between NASA and CASIS stays the sameNASA's 2020 plan set it up with NASA holding the budget, strategy and liaison, and CASIS running the user-facing work. We could not find the details of later changesNot yet confirmed

7. Glossary

ISS National Laboratory
A designation by Congress of the U.S. part of the ISS as a "national laboratory", a framework for promoting use beyond NASA.
CASIS
The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space. The nonprofit that runs the ISS National Lab.
Cooperative agreement
A form of agreement in which the government gives a nonprofit or similar body funds or resources for a shared purpose. It is different from a contract to buy goods.
Payload
An experiment unit or sample carried to the ISS. Counts of payloads selected by the ISS National Lab are published.
U.S. side (USOS)
The part of the ISS operated by the United States and its Canadian, European and Japanese partners. Russia operates the Russian segment.
Independent Review Team (IRT)
An external team NASA set up in 2019. It delivered a report on 4 February 2020 that assessed how CASIS and NASA were running the lab.
Commercial LEO destination
A privately owned space station in low Earth orbit to follow the ISS. NASA aims to buy services from it.
Form 990
The annual return a U.S. nonprofit files with the Internal Revenue Service. Its revenue and expenses are public.

8. References

  1. ISS National Lab About (its position as the doorway to the ISS research slots, and its mission). https://www.issnationallab.org/about/
  2. ISS National Lab Leadership (the operating organisation is a Florida corporation, run by a board of directors, with a User Advisory Committee). https://issnationallab.org/about/leadership/
  3. ISS National Lab CASIS to Manage ISS National Lab through 2030 (4 December 2025: the cooperative agreement extension, the 50% allocation, results). https://issnationallab.org/press-releases/casis-to-manage-iss-national-lab-through-2030/
  4. ISS National Lab ISS National Lab in 2025: Innovation, Partnerships, and Progress (18 December 2025: 114 payloads in 2025, publication counts). https://issnationallab.org/press-releases/iss-national-lab-celebrates-a-year-of-innovation-partnerships-and-progress-in-low-earth-orbit/
  5. ISS National Lab ISS National Lab Reaches 1,000-Payload Milestone as CASIS Celebrates 15 Years of Leadership (2 September 2026). https://issnationallab.org/press-releases/casis-15-years-1000-payloads/
  6. NASA NASA Selects Nonprofit To Manage Space Station National Lab Research (13 July 2011: initial agreement value of "up to $15 million per year"). https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-selects-nonprofit-to-manage-space-station-national-lab-research/
  7. NASA NASA Extends International Space Station National Lab Management (14 September 2022: extension to 2027). https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/nasa-extends-international-space-station-national-lab-management/
  8. NASA A Strategy for the Future of the ISS National Laboratory and Commercial LEO Development (2020; includes the Independent Review Team's final report of 4 February 2020: the history of the 2005 and 2010 laws, the NASA and CASIS division of roles, and receipts for FY2011 to FY2018). https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/iss-cooperative-agreement-irt-final-report.pdf
  9. NASA Office of Inspector General NASA's Management of the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (IG-18-010, 11 January 2018: staffing as of October 2017, and the content of the 2010 Act). https://oig.nasa.gov/docs/IG-18-010.pdf
  10. NASA FY 2027 Budget Estimates (the description of the ISS National Lab, the ISS's retirement in 2030, and the request for commercial LEO development). https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/fiscal-year-2027-full-budget-request.pdf
  11. ProPublica (data from IRS filings) Nonprofit Explorer: Center For The Advancement Of Science In Space Inc (Form 990 for the year to September 2025: revenue, expenses and nonprofit category). https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/275410763
  12. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Commercial Space Transportation (licensing of commercial launches and reentries). https://www.faa.gov/space

9. Claim-to-source audit

Claim in the articleStatusSource
The ISS National Lab's position and missionSourcedReference 1 https://www.issnationallab.org/about/
The operating organisation is a Florida corporation run by a board, with a User Advisory CommitteeSourcedReference 2 https://issnationallab.org/about/leadership/
The cooperative agreement extension to 2030 (4 December 2025), the 50% allocation, more than 85 projects funded through NSF, NIH and others (then), commercial facilities from 2 to 25, more than 630 papersSourcedReference 3 https://issnationallab.org/press-releases/casis-to-manage-iss-national-lab-through-2030/
114 payloads in 2025, more than 75 papers in FY2025, the Orbital Edge Accelerator, the extension statementSourced (CASIS's own figures)Reference 4 https://issnationallab.org/press-releases/iss-national-lab-celebrates-a-year-of-innovation-partnerships-and-progress-in-low-earth-orbit/
More than 1,000 payloads, about 60% private, more than 675 papers, 24 commercial facilities, more than 90 projects funded via NSF and NIH, examples of users, research areasSourced (CASIS's own figures)Reference 5 https://issnationallab.org/press-releases/casis-15-years-1000-payloads/
NASA's selection of CASIS on 13 July 2011 and the initial agreement value of up to US$15 million per yearSourcedReference 6 https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-selects-nonprofit-to-manage-space-station-national-lab-research/
The 2022 extension to 2027SourcedReference 7 https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/nasa-extends-international-space-station-national-lab-management/
The history of the 2005 and 2010 laws, the 2017 extension to September 2024, NASA's Program Executive and allocation guidelines, 50% of NASA's share, about US$109 million received from FY2011 to FY2018SourcedReference 8 https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/iss-cooperative-agreement-irt-final-report.pdf
The content of the 2010 Act (at least 50% of research capacity: power, stowage, crew time) and the October 2017 staffing of 65 positions (43 employees, 3 executives, 19 vacancies)SourcedReference 9 https://oig.nasa.gov/docs/IG-18-010.pdf
NASA's figures (more than 900 since 2012; 80% private over the past four fiscal years), the ISS's retirement in 2030, the commercial LEO development request of US$299.7 millionSourced (the request is not yet confirmed)Reference 10 https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/fiscal-year-2027-full-budget-request.pdf
Revenue of US$17,343,230 and expenses of US$17,833,864 for the year to September 2025; the 501(c)(3) categorySourcedReference 11 https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/275410763
The FAA licenses commercial launches and reentriesSourcedReference 12 https://www.faa.gov/space
The four-type classification of institutions and the layout of Figs. 2 and 3Our calculationour own arrangement (this article)
The value of NASA's latest cooperative agreement, current staff, the designation and CASIS's role after 2030, the reason for the differing facility counts, treatment of non-U.S. users, and NASA-only fundingNot yet confirmedNot stated in the sources checked; this article makes no estimate
Section 6: "CASIS's role may continue in some form after the ISS"Inferenceour own reading (outlook) of References 3, 5 and 10

Last updated: 17 October 2026 / Troy Technical
Figures in this article are based on NASA, ISS National Lab (CASIS), NASA Inspector General and IRS-filing data. Figures from CASIS's announcements are values published by the operator itself. This field changes quickly, so station operations, agreements and budgets are as of the date checked. Items marked "Inference" are our own reading of the primary sources.

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