Blue Origin Joins the Private Space Station Race

STS-199 International Space Station after undocking.

Blue Origin announced its plan to build a private space station on October 25, thus joining a rising number of private groups in the race to replace the aging International Space Station (ISS). 

With an initial projected lifespan of 15 years starting in 1998, the International Space station is showing its age with an increasing number of cracks and air leaks. NASA’s current predictions place the expiration date for the station in 2028, but some argue that this is overly optimistic—some Russian officials have suggested they might evacuate their side of the station as soon as 2025. 

In a bid to maintain U.S. presence in space and access to space-based scientific opportunities for U.S. companies, NASA has turned to the private sector for a replacement. This endeavor, called the Commercial Low-Earth-Orbit Destinations project, will involve distributing NASA funding to private U.S. enterprises in order to aid in the construction of multiple private stations. NASA has already announced its plan to allocate $400 million for the first round of development. 

The proposed station put forward by Blue Origin, to be named Orbital Reef, is planned to accommodate up to ten astronauts with a habitable volume close to that of the ISS. Set to be deployed between 2025 and 2030, Blue Origin pitched the station as a “mixed-use business park” and a possible destination for “exotic hospitality” through space tourism. The Senior Vice President of Blue Origin, Brent Sherwood, described their mission as providing “a vibrant, growing business ecosystem and low Earth orbit that will generate new discoveries, new products, new forms of entertainment, and global awareness of Earth’s fragility and interconnectedness.” 

In constructing the Orbital Reef, Blue Origin announced it would partner with Sierra Space, Boeing, Redwire Space, Genesis Engineering, and Arizona State University—each of which has stated their intentions to bring their expertise to specific elements. Blue Origin, Sierra Space, Redwire Space, and Boeing all plan to construct modules, with the “core modules” and “utility systems” being produced by Blue Origin. Boeing is also set to run the station's operations in addition to providing maintenance. Meanwhile, Genesis Engineering will contribute an alternative to a spacesuit in the form of its “Single Person Spacecraft” system. Blue Origin, Sierra Space, and Boeing are also all planning to aid in the transportation of cargo and crew to the station through the utilization of the New Gelen rocket, Dream Chaser spacecraft, and Starliner capsule, respectively.

Blue Origin’s proposal follows a similar announcement from a group headed by Lockheed Martin on October 21. The proposed station, set to be called StarLab, will crew four astronauts with a volume equivalent to a third of the ISS. Lockheed Martin and its partners, Nanoracks and Voyager Space, stated their intent to launch the station and bring it into operational use by 2027. 

Another company with a head start on both Blue Origin and Lockheed Martin is Axiom Space, having already received a $140 million grant from NASA. The Houston-based company plans to construct and launch four modules with the first one planned for September of 2024. These modules will connect with the ISS, nearly doubling its volume, before detaching to form an independent station when the ISS is decommissioned.