Commercial Space Station Queue

For all the excitement surrounding Orbital Reef, it is not the only private space station candidate.

Voyager Space, Nanoracks, and Lockheed Martin announced their plans for a commercial space station just days ago. Called Starlab, the planned station is set for a 2027 launch. It will be about a third of the volume of the International Space Station and will be able to house four crew members.

“The basic elements of the Starlab space station include a large inflatable habitat, designed and built by Lockheed Martin, a metallic docking node, a power and propulsion element, a large robotic arm for servicing cargo and payloads, and a state-of-the-art laboratory system to host a comprehensive research, science, and manufacturing capability,” a Nanoracks statement released on 21 October said.

Previously, Axiom Space had announced plans to launch a commercial station. In January 2020, NASA picked Axiom Space to provide at least one habitable commercial module to be attached to the International Space Station in late 2024, as part of promoting commercial opportunities in space.

When it will be time to call it a day for the International Space Station, the Axiom modules on the station will detach and begin operating independently as a free-flying commercial space station.

In May this year, NASA and Axiom Space also signed an order for the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, planned for after January 2022. The eight-day private crew visit to the space station on board a SpaceX Crew Dragon is set to mark another step towards achieving a thriving commercial marketplace in low-Earth orbit.

The International Space Station has been serving Earth for over two decades, but it cannot remain up there forever. Already showing signs of ageing, the outpost is set to retire in 2024, with a possible extension stretching its life to 2028. NASA administration Bill Nelson, however, hopes for a couple more years of life beyond even the extended time frame.

In light of the approaching end of service for the International Space Station, NASA is looking for successors. The United States space agency has already invited proposals for commercial space stations — a strong response is said to have emerged with about a dozen proposals coming in.

Through its Commercial LEO Destinations (CLD) project, NASA wants to ensure continued human presence in low-Earth orbit while it goes in pursuit of more deep space projects. In the process, it stands to save $1 billion annually.

“The agency's goal is a low-Earth orbit marketplace where NASA is one of many customers, and the private sector leads the way,” NASA said earlier this year.

The US space agency has talked about a two-phase strategy — forging multiple Space Act Agreements for early concept development of commercial destinations and, next, the purchase of destination services when they become available.

In this scheme of things, the Orbital Reef would be of interest to NASA. In fact, NASA may, according to Blue Origin, even become an “anchor tenant” at Orbital Reef after it goes up.

NASA’s plans aside, the idea of a commercial orbital outpost fits neatly into Jeff Bezos’ grand vision of people “living and working in space”.

"In order to preserve Earth, Blue Origin believes that humanity will need to expand, explore, find new energy and material resources, and move industries that stress Earth into space," Bezos space venture’s mission says.

Orbital Reef will mark a pretty good step in this direction if it comes to fruition.

Also Read: For Jeff Bezos, Space Tourism Is “Practice” For Loftier Space Goals

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