Orbital Reef – a space station from Blue Origin that could replace the ISS

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In the summer of 2021, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos stepped down as CEO of his company. He decided to devote the freed-up time to his other project, Blue Origin, which manufactures space equipment and sends people into space. The company has already carried out a couple of missions to launch space tourists into low-Earth orbit, but its plans do not end there. Recently, representatives of Blue Origin announced that by the end of the 2020s they want to build their own space station called Orbital Reef. Over time, it will be able to completely replace the ISS and become a place not only for scientific experiments, but also for entertainment. A number of partners will take part in the construction of the station, including Boeing, Sierra Space, etc. They have already distributed responsibilities and shown the concept of the future station.



Orbital Reef Space Station
Details about the Orbital Reef space station from Blue Origin were shared by Space.com. It is reported that the capabilities of the orbital station will be available to government organizations, private companies, various investors and space tourists. They will be able to conduct scientific experiments with spacewalks, visit the station during tourist missions, etc.



The Orbital Reef space station will be built around the end of the 2020s, the exact date is currently unknown. By that time, it is planned to create a “base configuration” that includes the main module, crew accommodation, science module, power systems and the Genesis spacecraft. The volume of the structure will be 830 cubic meters - for comparison, the volume of the ISS is 916 cubic meters. 10 people will be able to fit inside Orbital Reef. Over time, Blue Origin and its partners will expand the station and it will become more spacious. At the same time, the number of functions it performs should increase. Ideally, the Orbital Reef station will be able to provide any range of services.



How will the Orbital Reef space station be built?
Blue Origin and its partners have already divided their responsibilities. It has committed to developing several modules of the station and to completing the New Glenn rocket, which will be needed to deliver the structural components to space. Boeing will develop the science module, the Starliner capsule to deliver people and cargo to the station, and will also be responsible for the maintenance of the station.


New Glenn rocket
Flexible Environment (LIFE) modules that will house brazil number data astronauts and tourists. Their main feature will be expandability. It also wants to develop a Dream Chaser spacecraft that can also be used to deliver cargo and crew members.


Orbital Reef Space Station Segments

Other partners of Blue Origin include Redwire Space, which will provide solar panels and auxiliary structures for the station. Genesis Engineering Solutions, which is developing a single-person spacecraft for going into outer space, will also make its contribution. In the future, even NASA may support the Orbital Reef station - it is the most capable of providing funding. However, for now, it is not possible to expect any help from it, because money is needed to support the operation of the ISS. It is expected that the international station will be decommissioned around the end of the 2020s. So Orbital Reef could become an excellent alternative.



Space stations of the future
It is important to note that Orbital Reef may not be the only one of its kind. Recently, American companies Nanoracks, Voyager Space and Lockheed Martin announced their intention to launch a similar station called Starlab into low-Earth orbit. It will be smaller than the ISS, but will still allow for scientific experiments and space tourists. Its launch is scheduled for 2027 and at the moment it is known that up to 4 people will be able to live in it at the same time.