Tech Briefs Magazine - August 2022 - 21

to build the commercial systems, " said
Ondler, who is a seasoned space leader in
both government and industry.
Commercial Space Stations
In December 2021, NASA announced
the selection of three private companies
that will develop private space stations.
Blue Origin, Nanoracks, and Northrop
Grumman will receive over $400 million
in federal funds through three separate
Space Act Agreements.
Nanoracks, in collaboration with Voyager
Space and Lockheed Martin, is developing
the space station, called Starlab,
expected to achieve initial operational
capability by 2027. 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 the George Washington
Carver (GWC) Science Park.
The GWC Science Park is a state-of-theart
laboratory system, which will host a
comprehensive research, science, and
manufacturing capability. Starlab will
have the capacity to continuously host up
to four astronauts to conduct critical science
and research.
" It's not a giant, monolithic system, and
never will be, " said Smith, who has decades
of experience in designing and developing
complex, in-space systems. " It's
basically close to 40 percent of the pressurized
volume of the ISS. And it has all
the payload capacity and two thirds of its
power for a smaller system. So, it's a very
capable system, " he added.
Northrop Grumman's space station
concept is centered on a modular design
that will enable future civil and commercial
missions. Building on Northrop
Grumman's commercial spacecraft, the
space station borrows trusted technology
from the Cygnus cargo resupply vehicle,
the satellite servicing Mission Extension
and Mission Robotics Vehicles (MEV and
MRV), and the in-production Habitation
and Logistics Outpost (HALO). This approach
allows the company to minimize
initial costs and allow later capabilities to
be incorporated based on market needs.
The company's design provides base
modules for commercial capabilities such
as science, tourism, and manufacturing.
Initially, the station will support crews of
four, with future expansion for eight.
Multiple docking ports will allow future
expansion to support exploration, crew
habitats, laboratories, movie production,
Tech Briefs, August 2022
Blue Origin's commercial station will function as an orbital " mixed use business park " designed to
open multiple new markets in space. (Image: Blue Origin)
The Orbital Reef will support innovative microgravity research, development, and manufacturing
activities advancing fields as diverse as communications and biotechnology. (Image: Blue Origin)
crew airlocks, and facilities capable of
providing artificial gravity.
Blue Origin is building Orbital Reef, its
commercial space station, in partnership
with Sierra Space and supported by Boeing,
Redwire Space, Genesis Engineering
Solutions, and Arizona State University.
The commercial station will function as
an orbital " mixed use business park " designed
to open multiple new markets in
space. It is expected to offer customers
services including transportation, logistics,
habitation, and operations.
The Orbital Reef will support innovative
microgravity research, development,
and manufacturing activities advancing
fields as diverse as communications and
biotechnology. Its open system architecture
will allow any customer or nation to
link up and scale to support demand.
NASA also awarded a contract to Axiom
Space in February 2020, allowing the
company access to a port on the ISS in
which it intends to add a series of modules
for a commercial " Axiom " segment of the
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outpost. The goal is for the multi-module
segment to eventually detach and form
a commercial space station at the end of
the life of the ISS.
Early renderings of the sleeping quarters
for the Axiom Station look like
plush padded chambers, complete with
a view of Earth and a wide screen TV. It
will include expanded crew quarters as
well as research and manufacturing capabilities.
The station will also incorporate
robotics that will carry out routine
maintenance, inspections, cleaning, and
moving cargo.
According to Ondler, in many ways all
these commercial space stations will fundamentally
be the same. " You have to provide
working volume and have all the systems
that keep humans healthy and
alive. "
Smith agrees, " We all have a like-minded
approach. We want to go do it and
there's enough business out there for
a number of providers as we move forward. "
According to him, there is going
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Tech Briefs Magazine - August 2022

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