NASA safety panel warns agency risks losing crewed access to low Earth orbit

NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) has warned that the agency is at risk of losing human access to low Earth orbit, citing the expected retirement of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft and concerns about the development of commercial space stations, SpaceNews reported on 22 October 2026. (https://spacenews.com/nasa-safety-advisers-warn-agency-risks-losing-crewed-access-to-leo/)

The warning came at the panel’s fourth quarterly public meeting for 2026, held on Thursday 22 October (1:30–3:00 pm ET), whose agenda included updates on the International Space Station, the Commercial Crew programme and Commercial LEO Development programmes. (https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2026-19188.pdf?1789649122)

The concern over crew transport is not new. Florida Today reported on 15 October that SpaceX plans to retire its Dragon spacecraft around 2030, and that Dragon is currently the only US spacecraft capable of transporting astronauts to the space station. (https://www.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/2026/10/15/nasa-iss-commercial-partnerships-astronauts/92263300007/)

The panel has been pressing NASA on the post-ISS transition for some time. During an October 2025 public meeting, ASAP recommended that NASA develop a “comprehensive understanding” of the requirements for shifting from the ISS to commercial low Earth orbit destinations, or CLDs, to give confidence the nation could sustain a continuous human presence in LEO. (https://aiaa.org/tag/nasa-safety-panel/)

Sources: SpaceNews (Jeff Foust, 2026-10-22); Federal Register notice 26-053 (ASAP fourth quarterly meeting, 2026-10-22); Florida Today (Eric Lagatta, 2026-10-15); AIAA NASA Safety Panel archive.