Commercial space station Orbital Reef's design phase passes NASA review
- Reference: 1661274010
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2022/08/23/commercial_space_station_orbital_reef/
- Source link:
The low Earth orbit coworking and coliving space is being created in partnership with Jeff Bezos-owned Blue Origin and Sierra Space, developers of the mini-shuttle [1]Dream Chaser as well as inflatable habitats for the space environment.
Ha-ha. Business
The teams say the station is designed for future customers seeking space transport, logistics, habit, storage, and operations – available live and in person, and with access to orbital excursion tools. Sierra and Blue Origin refer to the endeavor as "the next chapter of human space exploration and development.”
"Designed to open multiple new markets in space, Orbital Reef will provide anyone with the opportunity to establish their own address in orbit," said an [2]announcement of the milestone.
[3]Jeff Bezos wants to build a business park in space
[4]What will life in orbit look like after the ISS? NASA hands out new space station contracts
[5]Russian cosmonauts abort ISS spacewalk after suit power fluctuates
[6]Artemis I will get 3 launch attempts after termination system extension agreed
The business park in the sky is optimistic in all ways, including proposed timing. The space companies say it is set for operation in 2027. As of now it has just passed its System Definition Review (SDR). The SDR took place over the course of a month, from mid-June to mid-July. It included an evaluation of the proposed system architecture and all functional elements, checking that they meet all functional and performance requirements, complete with feedback to the Orbital Reef team.
Post-SDR, it will [7]face a guantlet of design and readiness reviews [PDF] before experiencing a launch. No reason to rush though – its currently assigned ride into space, the [8]New Glenn rocket, won't have its first flight until at least 2023. It has already experienced several schedule pushbacks.
Beyond Sierra Space and Blue Origin, the Orbital Reef team includes Amazon Supply Chain, Amazon Web Services, Arizona State University, Boeing, Genesis Engineering Solutions and Redwire Space. Together they are said to be "maturing the design" with help from NASA as the US space agency attempts to shift research and exploration activities in low Earth orbit over to the private sector.
[9]
"It's the commercial world in which advanced capabilities get normalized and become a part of everyday life," said Brent Sherwood, senior vice president of Advanced Development Programs at Blue Origin in a [10]promotional video.
[11]
[12]Youtube Video
As for the International Space Station (ISS), its days are numbered, with a planned de-orbit scheduled for January 2031. A host of [13]successors, not just Orbital Reef, seek to fill the metaphorical and literal void.
[14]
NASA has signed agreements with three US companies to develop designs of space stations and other space-based commercial destinations. Blue Origin received $130 million for Orbital Reef, while Nanoracks LLC took $160 million and Northrop Grumman $125.6 million. ®
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[1] https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/09/snc_cornwall/
[2] https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220822005045/en/Orbital-Reef-Space-Station-Advances-to-Design-Phase-After-NASA-Review/
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2021/10/26/blue_origin_orbital_reef/
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2021/12/03/nasa_space_station/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2022/08/19/iss_spacewalk_power/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2022/08/15/artemis_fts/
[7] https://nodis3.gsfc.nasa.gov/displayDir.cfm?t=NPR&c=7123&s=1B
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2021/02/26/bezos_and_branson/
[9] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YwVN@H1didhn56Vudx0VVQAAAMU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[10] https://youtu.be/SC3ooNXfcGE
[11] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YwVN@H1didhn56Vudx0VVQAAAMU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[12] https://youtu.be/SC3ooNXfcGE
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2021/12/03/nasa_space_station/
[14] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YwVN@H1didhn56Vudx0VVQAAAMU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[15] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Another playground for rich narcissists
By "tourists" and "everyone" they (Bezos) means "ego-driven publicity stunt excursions into the ultimate act of conspicuous consumption".
That's how this all got started, after all. With Bezos strapping himself to a rocket for a look-at-me joyride. Even Ego Musk hasn't done that.
This does not represent a "democratization" or "all of humanity" event to even the slightest degree. This is simply the highest gated community on the highest hill looking down on the most peasants possible. It's the aristocratization of space, in which the only "merit" is the size of one's wallet. Do they have the right to do this? Not sure, as there is no law or other jurisdiction in space... but at the very least we can be sure to call it what it is, and call it out for what it isn't.
Don't lie about what you're doing up there, Bezos, Musk.
If its Bezos backed it'll probably be left at a neighbouring planet.
"Storage"???
...better than putting your dodgy docs in the basement I suppose.
Is it just me...
...or does anyone else think that image looks like an F1 car designed by a committee?
Surely this should be along the lines of;
"Evil Russia to be kicked out of ISS by 2031! Glorious capitalism rules and Bezos et al will have replacements by even earlier, permitting a potential earlier exit from the ISS."?!
Or is that fake news?
... optimistic in all ways, including proposed timing.
Yeah, yeah, overruns. Some poor bastard won't get his delivery bonus, but you can bet your bollocks that it won't be the bastard handling the proposal phase, who will have moved on by then.
The great unspoken truth about bonus incentives is that the one thing they really incentivise is bullshitting.