Orbital Reef

History

2024: NASA set aside $172 million for Orbital Reef research

On March 20, 2024, NASA announced that the Orbital Reef project to build a new orbital station, which could be a replacement for the ISS, had successfully passed four key stages of development. In particular, a life support system for future astronauts and space tourists has been created.

The Orbital Reef initiative is being implemented by Blue OriginJeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon. In addition, Sierra Space specialists are involved in the development. The project is estimated at billions of dollars, and NASA has allocated $172 million for research. The Aerospace Agency is working closely with commercial companies to develop new space stations that will help the U.S. ensure a permanent presence in low-Earth orbit.

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Blue Origin

The regenerative system for Orbital Reef will provide the crew members of the station with air and water obtained by cleaning urine. During the tests, four components of this system were successfully tested: a module for cleaning air from micro-impurities, a unit for oxidizing pollutants in water, a unit for restoring water from urine and a tank for storing water. The system has proven its performance, which, as noted, is a key milestone in the implementation of the project.

NASA said in a statement that a similar regenerative system operates on the ISS: it processes urine and gas mixture formed as a result of the life of astronauts. This makes it possible to significantly reduce the volumes of water and oxygen that need to be delivered to orbit. The regenerative system will become one of the most important elements of Orbital Reef, so maximum attention is paid to the stability and efficiency of its operation. It is also noted that NASA supports the design and development of several commercial space stations.^[1]

2021: Getting started on the project

On October 25, 2021, Blue Origin and Sierra Space announced the creation of the Orbital Reef space station, which will be built in low Earth orbit on a commercial basis. The station will open the next chapter in human space exploration and exploration, contributing to the development of a dynamic ecosystem and business model of the future, partners say.

Orbital Reef is backed by space industry leaders and partners including Boeing, Redwire Space, Genesis Engineering Solutions and Arizona State University. The space station will provide anyone with the opportunity to create their own address in orbit. This destination will offer research, industrial, international and commercial clients cost-competitive comprehensive services including space transportation and logistics, equipment placement, and operations including crew operations on board. The station will start functioning until 2030.

Blue Origin is building its space station

Orbital Reef will operate as a mixed-use business park in space. The overall infrastructure effectively supports the own needs of various tenants and visitors. Human-centric space architecture with world-class services and amenities. As the main commercial center in low Earth orbit, Orbital Reef will provide the critical infrastructure needed to scale up economic activity and open new markets in space.

Reusable space transport and thoughtful design, accompanied by advanced automation and logistics, will minimize costs and complexity for both traditional space operators and new participants, which will allow the widest range of users to realize their goals. The open system architecture allows any customer or state to connect to the system and scale it to meet demand. Module berths, vehicle ports, utilities and amenities, all increase as the market grows.

Project participants will contribute to it as follows:

• Blue Origin - the main modules of large diameter and the reusable heavy launch vehicle New Glenn;
• Sierra Space is a large integrated flexible environment module (LIFE), nodal module and Dream Chaser take-off and landing spacecraft for crew and cargo, capable of landing on runways around the world;
• Boeing - science module, station operation, maintenance and Starliner spacecraft for crew;
• Redwire Space - microgravity research, development and production; Payload operations and deployable designs
• Genesis Engineering Solutions - spacecraft for one person for daily work and tourist excursions;
• Arizona State University - Leads a global consortium of universities providing consulting services in research and community outreach.^[2]

Notes