NASA has declared the International Space Station open for business.
The space agency said in a press release it will open parts of the ISS to more commercial opportunities, including in-space manufacturing, health care research and even marketing. Right now, commercial activity on board mostly consists of science experiments.
NASA says it's also planning to let private astronauts visit and stay at the station as early as next year.
As The Washington Post notes, NASA has previously taken a strong stance against allowing tourists and commercial interests on the ISS. But the agency's chief financial officer told reporters commercializing the station will enable NASA "to focus resources" to land the next man and the first woman on the moon by 2024.
Back in May, the Trump administration said it would ask Congress to add $1.6 billion to NASA's budget next year to kick-start NASA's plans to send astronauts back to the moon.
