The Era Of Private-Sector Space Stations Is Now Dawning

For many years, the most viable option for life in low-Earth orbit has been the International Space Station. It has provided a home away from home for astronauts from around the world, but the program is starting to show its age and its replacement might not come from the minds at NASA or any other country’s official space agency.

The rise of private exploration

If you’ve been paying attention to the shuttle launches from private companies lately, it might not come as much of a surprise that such names are setting their sights on even more ambitious space-related projects.

And such goals include establishing space stations to be used for tourism, research, or other purposes.

The Orbital Reef project has emerged as one of the most notable undertakings. It’s being pursued by Blue Origin and has secured a number of important partnerships along the way. However, there are countless hurdles to clear before a prospective space station can actually be launched into orbit.

In addition to a host of regulations that haven’t even been drafted yet, everyone involved must consider a massive number of variables needed to support life in space while at some point making a profit.

But at this point, the company’s conspicuous silence on the Orbital Reef’s progress doesn’t give the public (or its rivals) much to go on.

Here’s what we know so far

Sierra Space, a company working on the Orbital Reef project, recently conducted what it called an “ultimate burst pressure” test on the station’s shell. This involved gauging how much inflation it could handle, and at 77 pounds per square inch, the specialized fabric far exceeded the 60.8 psi standard recommended by NASA.

And with the capability of adding various additional modules, there’s virtually no limit to what it could (theoretically) do.

Chris Agee May 14th, 2024

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