“It reminds me of sort of Lucy and Charlie Brown with the football.”

NASA has proposed that a new core module be added to the International Space Station.

Credit:

NASA

NASA has proposed that a new core module be added to the International Space Station.

Credit:

NASA

Most elements of a major NASA event this week that laid out spaceflight plans for the coming decade were well received: a Moon base, a focus on less talk and more action, and working with industry to streamline regulations so increased innovation can propel the United States further into space.

However, one aspect of this event, named Ignition, has begun to run into serious turbulence. It involves NASA’s attempt to navigate a difficult issue with no clear solution: finding a commercial replacement for the aging International Space Station.

During the Ignition event on Tuesday, NASA leaders had blunt words for the future of commercial activity in low-Earth orbit.…