Jeff Bezoz’s Blue Origin Prepares for Next Big Step in Space Exploration

As NASA prepares to retire the International Space Station (ISS) by the end of the decade, a fresh wave of innovation is on the horizon. Blue Origin, the rocket company started by Jeff Bezos, is developing an ambitious project called Orbital Reef. This upcoming space station, envisioned as a solar-powered “mixed-use business park,” aims to be operational by 2030. It represents a future where businesses and researchers can thrive beyond our planet, paving the way for commercial space travel.

Floating 311 miles above Earth, the upcoming space station will include 29,300 cubic feet of space designed for living and working. It will have all the essentials to support life, featuring sleeping quarters, social areas and facilities for research. At its core is a structure with a volume of 8,228 cubic feet, which connects to an inflatable habitat called the Large Integrated Flexible Environment (LIFE), created by Sierra Space, a Colorado-based company focused on aerospace and space technologies.

The first version of the space station will be able to host up to 10 scientists, international astronauts and tourists, who will be transported back and forth by various spacecraft. Its modular design, similar to a Tinkertoy set, means that Orbital Reef can grow into a much larger base camp as time goes on.

Astro-tourists will have the chance to take a spacewalk. The capsule they’ll be in resembles the robot from Lost in Space, but it has life-support systems and a roomy interior that make it more comfortable than a traditional space suit. 

One of the LIFE habitats will feature a hydroponic Astro Garden, giving crew members access to fresh produce whenever they want a break from freeze-dried meals. Sierra Space has tested a self-contained “plant pillow”—a Teflon-coated bag made of Nomex and Kevlar—that holds water, fertilizer and other growth agents to help grow vegetables.

The 10,594-cubic-foot LIFE habitat will be the social hub, with a dining area, sleeping bays and fitness facilities. Plans include café-style tables with fresh vegetables decorating the walls, along with the ability to make video calls back to Earth (and yes, the space station will have Wi-Fi). However, sleeping arrangements will be pretty basic in the initial Orbital Reef. A prototype set up at Sierra Space’s headquarters shows a hammock secured to the ceiling, so you’ll need to buckle in for some zero-gravity rest.

The first layout of Orbital Reef includes individual sleeping spaces, with plans for hotel-like accommodations in the future. Tourists will have various ways to stay busy—some might join in on research projects, while others may hit the gym to counteract the bone-density loss that comes with extended time in weightlessness. And for those who prefer to relax, the view will be hard to beat, as the station completes 16 orbits of Earth each day.

Orbital Reef will serve as a hub for scientists to carry out research in microgravity. The station will house two-tier labs, covering 8,200 cubic feet, where hundreds of experiments can be conducted—from 3-D printing human organs to developing batteries that could greatly extend the range of electric vehicles. The lab will be stocked with tools like incubators, freezers, bio-fabrication equipment and centrifuges to support a wide range of scientific studies.