List of commercial space stations

Last updated

This is a list of current and planned commercial space stations.

Contents

Current

While commercial space flights have been flown to the International Space Station [1] , there are currently no commercial space stations in operation.

Planned

Axiom Segment/Axiom Station

Axiom Orbital Segment or Axiom Segment are the planned components of the International Space Station (ISS) designed by Axiom Space for commercial space activities and space tourism uses. Axiom Space gained initial NASA approval for the venture in January 2020. This orbital segment is planned to be separated from the ISS to become a separate space station, Axiom Station, after deorbiting of the latter. It is unsure what launch vehicles will be used to launch these modules.

Up to three Axiom modules are planned to be attached to the International Space Station. The first module is expected to be launched no earlier than late 2026 [2] and would dock to the forward port of Harmony, requiring relocation of Pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA-2) to any other ports on ISS like Harmony nadir. Axiom Space plans to attach up to two additional modules to its first core module, and send private astronauts to inhabit the modules. [3]

Axiom renderings illustrate how the three modules might attach to the ISS as they are berthed and relocated by the Mobile Servicing System using Canadarm2. Canadarm2 might also continue its operations on the Axiom Space Station after the retirement of ISS in the early 2030s. [4] [5]

Orbital Reef

On October 25, 2021, Blue Origin announced that together with Sierra Space it would build a 'Mixed-use space business park' in LEO called Orbital Reef, to 'open multiple new markets in space, [and] provide anyone with the opportunity to establish their own address on orbit. [..it] will offer research, industrial, international, and commercial customers the cost competitive end-to-end services they need including space transportation and logistics, space habitation, equipment accommodation, and operations including onboard crew. The station will start operating in the second half of this decade..' [6] Further partners are Boeing, Redwire Space, Genesis Engineering Solutions, and Arizona State University. [7]

Starlab

Starlab is the name given to the planned LEO space station designed by Nanoracks for commercial space activities uses. The station is expected to be launched in 2028.

The company released preliminary plans in October 2021, where the main structure of Starlab consisted of a large inflatable habitat to be built by Lockheed Martin and a metallic docking node. In 2023, the design changed to a metallic structure with Airbus Space as the main partner. [8]

The station is being designed to support 4 persons in 340 m3 of volume. The station also features a 60 kW power and propulsion element, a large robotic arm for servicing cargo and external payloads. The company has partnered with other companies to realise the project: [9]

Haven-1

In May 2023, Vast announced that they had purchased a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch for the Haven-1 space station, targeted for launch as early as August 2025. [10]

Haven-2

In October 2024, Vast announced Haven-2, a planned successor to Haven-1. It's intended to be much larger than Haven-1, with modular assembly and the intention of replacing the International Space Station. The first module of Haven-2 is expected to be launched by SpaceX Starship in 2028, if the station is approved during the second phase of NASA's Commercial LEO Destinations program in 2026. [11]

Canceled

Bigelow Aerospace space station

Bigelow Aerospace proposed an expandable space station for commercial use. Air would have be pumped into the station to inflate each piece once they arrived on orbit. Bigelow ceased operations in 2020.

Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman Commercial Space Station concept, featured at IAC 2022. Northrop Grumman Commercial Space Station concept, IAC 2022.jpg
Northrop Grumman Commercial Space Station concept, featured at IAC 2022.

In December 2021, Northrop Grumman signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA under the Commercial Low-Earth Orbit Development program for $125.6 million to design a commercial free-flying space station in low Earth orbit (LEO). [12] Northrop Grumman had a web page describing their "vision for space-as-a-service" which "focuses on delivering an accessible, full-service commercial space station in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) that will continue the work of the International Space Station (ISS), while expanding across multiple markets to provide optimized and tailored support for a new commercial economy." [13] Northrop Grumman was partnering with Rhodium Scientific on bio-tech and bio-pharma research in low-earth orbit. [14]

In October 2023, Northrop-Grumman announced that they would abandon the concept and instead join forces on Voyager's Starlab space station. [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Space station</span> Habitable artificial satellite

A space station is a spacecraft which remains in orbit and hosts humans for extended periods of time. It therefore is an artificial satellite featuring habitation facilities. The purpose of maintaining a space station varies depending on the program. Most often space stations have been research stations, but they have also served military or commercial uses, such as hosting space tourists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cygnus (spacecraft)</span> Uncrewed cargo spacecraft developed by Orbital Sciences

Cygnus is an expendable American automated cargo spacecraft designed for International Space Station (ISS) resupply missions. It was initially developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation with financial support from NASA under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program. To create Cygnus, Orbital paired a pressurized cargo module, largely based on the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, built by Thales Alenia Space and previously used by the Space Shuttle for ISS resupply, with a service module based on Orbital's GEOStar, a satellite bus. After a successful demonstration flight in 2013, Orbital was chosen to receive a Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract. A larger Enhanced Cygnus was introduced in 2015. Orbital Sciences merged into Orbital ATK in 2015; Northrop Grumman purchased Orbital ATK in 2018 and has continued to operate Cygnus missions. A further enlarged Mission B Cygnus is expected to be introduced in 2025.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">US Orbital Segment</span> US components of the International Space Station

The US Orbital Segment (USOS) is the name given to the components of the International Space Station (ISS) constructed and operated by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), European Space Agency (ESA), Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The segment consists of eleven pressurized components and various external elements, almost all of which were delivered by the Space Shuttle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Space tug</span> Spacecraft used to transfer cargo from one orbit to another

A space tug is a type of spacecraft used to transfer spaceborne cargo from one orbit to another orbit with different energy characteristics. The term can include expendable upper stages or spacecraft that are not necessarily a part of their launch vehicle. However, it can also refer to a spacecraft that transports payload already in space to another location in outer space, such as in the Space Transportation System concept. An example would be moving a spacecraft from a low Earth orbit (LEO) to a higher-energy orbit like a geostationary transfer orbit, a lunar transfer, or an escape trajectory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nanoracks</span> American private space hardware and services company

Nanoracks LLC is an American private in-space services company which builds space hardware and in-space repurposing tools. The company also facilitates experiments and launches of CubeSats to Low Earth Orbit.

DreamUp PBC is a Public-benefit corporation that offers space-based educational activities. DreamUp is a spin-off and sister company of Nanoracks LLC, a private spaceflight company. Nanoracks gives DreamUp access to research opportunities on the U.S. National Lab on board the International Space Station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artemis III</span> Third orbital flight of the Artemis program

Artemis III is planned to be the first crewed Moon landing mission of the Artemis program and the first crewed flight of the Starship HLS lander. Artemis III is planned to be the second crewed Artemis mission and the first American crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17 in December 1972. In December 2023, the Government Accountability Office reported that the mission is not likely to occur before 2027; as of January 2024, NASA officially expects Artemis III to launch no earlier than September 2026 due to issues with the valves in Orion's life support system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lunar Gateway</span> Lunar orbital space station under development

The Lunar Gateway, or simply Gateway, is a space station which is planned to be assembled in orbit around the Moon. The Gateway is intended to serve as a communication hub, science laboratory, and habitation module for astronauts as part of the Artemis program. It is a multinational collaborative project: participants include NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC). The Gateway is planned to be the first space station beyond low Earth orbit.

Axiom Space, Inc., also known as Axiom Space, is an American privately funded space infrastructure developer headquartered in Houston, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cygnus NG-14</span> 2020 American resupply spaceflight to the ISS

NG-14, previously known as OA-14, was the fifteenth flight of the Northrop Grumman robotic resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its fourteenth flight to the International Space Station under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-1) contract with NASA. The mission was launched on 3 October 2020, at 01:16:14 UTC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cygnus NG-15</span> 2021 American resupply spaceflight to the ISS

Cygnus NG-15, previously known as OA-15, was the fifteenth launch of the Northrop Grumman robotic resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its fourteenth flight to the International Space Station (ISS) under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA. The mission launched on 20 February 2021 at 17:36:50 UTC. This is the fourth launch of Cygnus under the CRS-2 contract.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Axiom Orbital Segment</span> Planned ISS component

Axiom Orbital Segment or Axiom Segment are the planned modular components of the International Space Station (ISS) designed by Houston, Texas-based Axiom Space for commercial space activities. Axiom Space gained initial NASA approval for the venture in January 2020. Axiom Space was later awarded the contract by NASA on February 28, 2020. This orbital station will be separated from the ISS to become a modular space station, Axiom Station, after the ISS is decommissioned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cygnus NG-16</span> 2021 American resupply spaceflight to the ISS

NG-16, previously known as OA-16, was the sixteenth flight of the Northrop Grumman robotic resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its fifteenth flight to the International Space Station (ISS) under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-2) contract with NASA. The mission was launched on 10 August 2021 at 22:01:05 UTC, for a (planned) 90-day mission at the ISS. This was the fifth launch of Cygnus under the CRS-2 contract.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cygnus NG-18</span> 2022 American resupply spaceflight to the ISS

NG-18 was the eighteenth flight of the Northrop Grumman robotic resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its seventeenth flight to the International Space Station (ISS) under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-2) contract with NASA. The mission successfully launched on 7 November 2022 at 10:32:42 UTC. This was the seventh launch of Cygnus under the CRS-2 contract.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cygnus NG-19</span> Late 2023 cargo spacecraft mission to ISS

NG-19 was the nineteenth flight of the Northrop Grumman robotic resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its eighteenth flight to the International Space Station (ISS) under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-2) contract with NASA. The mission launched on 2 August 2023 at 00:31:14 UTC. This was the eighth launch of Cygnus under the CRS-2 contract.

Orbital Reef is an under development low Earth orbit (LEO) space station being designed by Blue Origin and Sierra Nevada Corporation's Sierra Space for commercial space activities and space tourism uses. Blue Origin has referred to it as a "mixed-use business park". The companies released preliminary concepts for the station on 25 October 2021. The station is being designed to support 10 persons in 830 m3 of volume. As of March 2022, the station was projected to be operational by 2027.

Starlab is a LEO commercial space station currently under development by Starlab Space, a joint venture between the U.S. company Voyager Space and European company Airbus. If development continues beyond the initially-funded phase in 2021–24, then Starlab would be launched before the decommissioning of the ISS, no earlier than 2028. The development program has received partial funding from both NASA and the ESA.

The Commercial LEO Destinations program is a public/private partnership program of the NASA, to help facilitate the building of private commercial space stations (CSSs) in low Earth orbit.

References

  1. ↑ Paravano, Alessandro; Locatelli, Giorgio; Trucco, Paolo (2024). "Creating and Claiming Social Value by Joining the Governance of Science-Driven Capital Projects: An Investigation in the New Space Economy". IEEE Engineering Management Review: 1–44. doi:10.1109/EMR.2024.3428327. ISSN   0360-8581.
  2. ↑ Foust, Jeff (13 December 2023). "SpaceX yet to select launch pad for next Axiom Space private astronaut mission". SpaceNews . Retrieved 13 December 2023. Ondler said in the briefing that the first of those modules is now scheduled to launch to the ISS at the end of 2026, about a year later than the company previously announced.
  3. ↑ "NASA selects Axiom Space to build commercial space station module". SpaceNews. 28 January 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  4. ↑ "Assembly Sequence: Watch the Axiom Segment of the ISS constructed module-by-module". Axiom Space. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  5. ↑ "A Private Space Station Might Be Born From the ISS". seeker.com. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  6. ↑ "Blue Origin and Sierra Space developing commercial space station".
  7. ↑ "Home". orbitalreef.com.
  8. ↑ Hepher, Tim; Roulette, Joey (2 August 2023). "Voyager Space and Airbus deepen tie-up on new space station". Reuters. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  9. ↑ "Starlab". Nanoracks.
  10. ↑ "A start-up teams with SpaceX to be first to orbit a commercial space station". The Washington Post. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  11. ↑ Foust, Jeff (13 October 2024). "Vast releases design of Haven-2 commercial space station". SpaceNews. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  12. ↑ "Northrop Grumman Signs Agreement with NASA to Design Space Station for Low Earth Orbit". Northrop Grumman Newsroom. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  13. ↑ "Commercial Space Station". Northrop Grumman. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022.
  14. ↑ "Northrop Grumman and Rhodium Scientific to Collaborate on Bio-Tech and Bio-Pharma Research in Low-Earth Orbit". Northrop Grumman. Archived from the original on 23 January 2023.
  15. ↑ Foust, Jeff (5 October 2023). "Northrop Grumman to join Voyager Space commercial space station project". SpaceNews. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
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