NASA astronaut Frank Rubio peers out of a window aboard the SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft Freedom while docked to the International Space Station. I don't know if NASA's Angela Hart is a Sixers fan, but her take on the current landscape of private space station development matches the "trust the process" rallying cry that the Philadelphia basketball team made so famous. And I agree with Hart, NASA's top commercial space station official: It's early days of companies taking the lead on orbital research habitats. To rewind a bit here: The International Space Station is expected to retire in 2030, so NASA is helping fund development of next-generation orbital habitats. With all that said, three key facts in the private space station landscape haven't changed:

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Persons: Frank Rubio, CNBC's Michael Sheetz, NASA's Angela Hart, Hart, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin Organizations: NASA, International Space, Sixers, Philadelphia basketball, Cargo, Voyager, Airbus, Lockheed, Origin, Blue, SpaceX Locations: U.S