What Life Inside The Orbital Reef Space Station Will Be Like! 

Space development is going to be like the internet's development. The internet developed slowly for decades and then, boom, massive investment and exponential growth hit almost overnight. I think we're on the cusp of that right now in space development. When Starship starts working, everybody and their uncle is going to try to get into the game, and then the fun begins. Private space stations, moon bases, asteroid mining and things we haven't thought of yet will start coming in AHEAD of schedule because to fall behind is to lose the race. The bad new is WW3 will probably start in the Shackleton crater.

Axiom Space is going to be the world's first commercial space station. Orbital Reef is a concept at best, and knowing BO it'll fly in 20 years.

The Dreamchaser shuttle looks a lot like the test ship of John Criteon in the show Farscape.

A lot of what made the ISS so expensive to build was the limited launch capability of the time, the expense of the Space Shuttle, the delays caused by 3-4 redesigns of the ISS as its mission changed and just the stretching out of the length of time of the construction. (It turns out that when you slow development by limiting funds, it usually ends up costing MORE than if you just bite the bullet and "get 'er done".) If New Glenn ever gets operational, not only its fairing will be large, but its payload capacity will be significant - on the order of the Falcon Heavy. If its reusability pans out, that will also cut the cost of payload to orbit. Couple that with the inflatable module technology, and you get a lot of internal volume for less cost. Also, the Orbital Reef will be constructed more like the Chinese and Russian space stations in that it will be a bunch of modules simply docked together. No stupid truss segments to construct. Hopefully, they will have some of the better ideas of the ISS, such as wiring and duct work that goes outside of the station rather than inside the passageways between modules, like on Mir. (That created quite a problem on Mir when the fire broke out, because they had to remove duct work and wiring between modules before they could seal off a section.) I think they can beat the Chinese cost effectiveness once they get the launch vehicles in place.

"Including Boeing" means that it will be 40x the cost and decades behind schedule.

Cortona, bring up Halo.

Haven't actually built new glenn yet... but its doing really well in kerbal!!

My hope is pinned on Starship , with a 9m diameter and expendable version with over 1000 cubic meters of living space. IF Starship only ever works getting to orbit(booster reusable) and needing Dragon capsules for crew. it will make Orbital reef obsolete and a very expensive alternative. Hoping to see the first test flight and also a the test of SpaceX's new EVA suit tested by a dragon crew of 4 in space this summer.

Given the companies associated with this project and their past performances, I have no expectation that this will happen in the next 50 years.

The beginning of the video showed a circular ship spinning in space - thus creating artificial gravity. This avoids all of the health problems associated with long-term micro gravity. In my opinion they won’t get it right until they actually design a space station - or ship to mars - with a rotating ring for gravity.

Sounds very optimistic in both cost and time. However, if bold goals are not put in place nothing tends to happen. Better to extend the time lines than have it flounder on the table and never start. Elon may need something like the 'Reef' for Mars anyway. A staging platform to prepare for Mars launches. Then a similar staging platform at the Mars. Perhaps it will be more efficient to build and load large scale vehicles to move cargo between staging platforms and use smaller craft to ferry the cargo to the surface. "Teamsters in Sppaaccceee".

I really enjoy your two channels. Thanks for what you do man. 😎

I sure wish Blue Origin would get something launched into LEO, at least, soon. then I would have more faith in efforts like the Orbital Reef. In any case, I hope it succeeds and wish them all the luck.

$20 says Orbital Reef is never more than a 'power point presentation'.

Forget about Blue Origin... that feather is destined to be blown away

I think that Blue Origin is the weak link in Orbital Reef. They keep losing top talent and their management structure is critically inflexible. Love Sierra Space though.

A new goal for private competition should be development of artificial gravity systems.

I'm not too excited until I see a rotating station with centrifugal force simulated gravity.

Blue Origin hasn't even gotten into space yet. I wouldn't hold my breath.

I really hope this design will be expandable where that center column could be expanded and more inflatable habitats could go in more people going to space and size those things would bring people's awareness to our community is better

New life goal: Make enough money to tour space in the first wave of tourists

It took 100 billion, 10 years and 30 space flights from the Space Shuttle and Soyouz to complete the ISS. Orbital Reef sounds incredible as a space station but we have to keep in mind that it takes a tremendous amount of ressources to build this type of space project.

I’m wondering why Sierra’s primary stage isn’t reusable? It could save them some money.

My bet would be if Elon likes this type of idea for SpaceX, he'd make it happen within a few short years. Starship, when fully operational, could carry the whole Reef in probably 2 launches. But knowing Elon, he'd think bigger and more functional for his own ''reef'' and it might take a few more launches. He could put the whole thing in orbit in about a month though once his fleet is built up some. ;-)

Woow amazing....

How funny would it be if Sierra finished their development in time, and ended up partnering with Axiom with SpaceX for transport and finishing some other concept by 2030 while orbital reef gets delayed by 20 years due to blue origin?

I hope Orbital Reef takes orbit however Jeff Bezo's Blue Origin places a huge question mark on this project

I reckon it would be awesome , I thought by now we would have had big space station and a moon base as well ,,if I was loaded with money I would want to be a business partner in on the action just for the fun of it all... I hope it all happens in the next couple of years

Space X is realistically the only company that could get a Space Station in orbit by 2027, but they have other goals and projects going on with NASA and Space Force. LEt's see how far Blue Origin can get.

Thanks for sharing. There might be a easier if not cheaper way to create a space station. When Starship is fully functional they can launch a freighter version whith a Dodecahedron shaped docking node then in time 12 Crew rated Starships can dock to form a pincushion like space station. All SpaceX will have to do is to figure out how to get a docking port at the pointy end of a reusable Starship to make this a remarkable Space Station. Imagine, they can optimize each craft for different tasks like habitats, science labs and so on. The fact that it's reusable will enable them to bring them back for refit with more modern stuff. 😉

They really need to get some sort of gravity solution and radiation protection too.

The intro hits different!

Cool 😎

Dude, Space IS hard. If humans had the characteristics of driver ants 'we' would have been to Mars and then some. Space rock = Colony. In reality we're just disorganized collections of grabassian ......... You get the point. Love the video and yea i agree this is going to be the way forward in LEO. Just have to deal with the "disorganized collections" part.

Realy I like this video its so so interestyng

The Reef could be adjusted or expanded for tourist purposes. The first Space Hotel :)

Just one more question, if they’re calling it an orbital reef, will it be possible to attach additional have modules onto each module

Great video ! Orbital Reef should join or dock (mate) with Bigelow B330 Modules ! This will give more for NASA and/or tourists. This LEO Commercial Space Station (CSS) in the orbit of Apollo is a great location to launch for the return to the moon to stay. And this will have less cost than the SLS ! The Blue Origin Blue Moon can refuel on the moon from the Lunar Water Ice and return to LEO Commercial Space Station (CSS)) with a crew of four (4). The tech developed for the return to the moon to stay can take US to Mars and beyond-Ad Astra... T. Lipinski

Dream Chaser Tenacity was not the one doing the drop tests in 2017. It was an engineering test article that was dropped. Tenacity has not flown yet, as it is the first one built for orbit and plans to fly the demo CRS mission to the ISS in 2023, before the rest of the 6 mission CRS flights.

I think if blue origin do not get going asap then space x will put the reef into space and service it when starship succeeds.

They should make the orbital reef more like Deep Space 9.

Dream chaser is meant for 7 people not 12. The habitat module can accommodate up to 12 people.

Eventually (we should hope) there will be rules demanding that the booster stages must be able to land again (SpaceX style), this would significantly decrease waste, and further garbage thrown into the ocens. (The oceans is where we get 99% of our oxygen from, so throwing garbage into the oceans is akin to what smoking does to your lungs)

Someone mentioned the internet. That is precisely the way things will Develop. Robots, technology, advances in medicine, all of it. There will be a confluence of ideas and tech which will probably answer presently unknown questions. Once money is to be made in space, itll just become business as usual.

Space with never happen for everyone until antigravity tech finally comes out.

As I get closer to retirement (70+), Orbital Reef looks better and better.

Without re-usability this wont be financial enough to go long term, the concept looks awesome though.

With a better, more efficient booster engine we could put 1,000 tons in low earth orbit. Given that each launch at Space x with the 9 meter booster could put larger objects into orbit, each one dwarfing what came before and only cost between 20 and 30 million per launch. 3 launches could put up double or even triple the volume of the ISS and for a tiny fraction of the cost, less than 90 million.

I'm 50 years old and I know I will never visit space but all my life I have wanted to.

The plan for this hinges on the need for business partners who want to do manufacturing and research and tourism in space. It will be interesting to see how that develops, but I think Elon's plan to colonize Mars is much more exciting. And the lunar lander that can be used to ferry people to the surface of the moon for short durations is a really exciting idea for space tourists.

Dreamchaser looks suspiciously like Soviet's Spiral. China: "Let's build space station to do science" US: "Mr. Beast 10 ordinary people in space"

I would think AI robotics would be a good way about this for construction.

You forgot about the football field. Where else would the astronauts unwind than attending a zero gravity football championship?

nice theory, the reality is that each seat on the crew dragon is 88 million usd, that is the price of that space commute you mention in the start. unless you intent to find solid gold bars, it is not worth the it, and after your first solid gold bar run, even solid gold bars will not worth anymore. we failed to find the spice in space, that worth risking entire ships and crew as it worth it weight in gold. We might do it for planting some flags and such, but beyond that, it is simply without reason. it is sad, that we have no real reason to go to space, beyond the 'explore' part, but actually no one did exploration for the sake of it.

Oh gosh lol blue origin….. we’ll have that space station by 2065…. Maybe.

Dream chaser about the size of a Chevy Suburban. How it is going to get anything up there is a mystery

I want so much for blue origin, Sierra space and Boeing to succeed but their collective innovative wheel moves entirely too slow. Boeing is heavily weighed down by bureaucracy, blue origins throws money at problems without any legitimate engineering solutions. Sierra is late in the game but has plenty of potential. I sincerely hope they all succeed. By they need to change how they do things and get out of an antiquated methodology of innovation and tech advancement. Let's go team ..... get it done by taking chances while maintaining safety.

On the timescale proposed, its a pipe dream. Sure, one day, but i dont see it happening until 2030 at the earliest.

Instead of a linear station, make the pieces in a ring to allow some gravity from spin...

whats the ladder for? climbing up and down?

These are all cool. But what about space elevators? Carbon nanotubes and graphene are coming out. They are becoming much more cost efficient now. Please make a video about that.

They should fit dream chaser on starship

If they have enough demand then go for it.

Low Earth orbit is becoming more and more accessible

I'm curious if it can be made from wood too? I heard that there is an experiment going on its natural wood no clue but pins. It is made from cross laminated timber

how long do you think it will be before spaceX will have their own station

What about the Axiom Station & Starlab projects?

I don't think I would want to live in an inflatable habitat in space with space debris flying around up there.

Dr. Evil used his phallic rocket to penetrate the karman line. 🙏 Blue Origin. 🤣

If SpaceX was involved they could build this at Starbase quickly and efficiently.

Which company will the first one to build the first rotating space station? 40 modest sized modules that are each 8 meters long would be enough to build a ring with a diameter of at least 100 meters.

AI is going to impact the space race in ways that will be amazing. It will help cut costs and therefore ramp up timeframes as opposed to the current opposite.

It will be amazing to have a job in space without any training likr an astronoaut would need and that was something in sci fi now its something looking very possible

Great as usual! (ha ha especially at 10.50 =) ) No seriously: Couldn't Spaceex do it significantly cheaper, since they can launch rockets significantly cheaper than the others combined? They have also talked about building a space station, so what happened with that? And with new construction modules and construction robots in space from Offworld Industries (former Gateway spaceport) we can have this up and running within four years (in mine and Elon time ;) ) Why does everything take so long and cost so much? If everyone just gets together and agrees, this wouldn't be as impossible as it sounds..

Inflatable space labs???? Yeah, that’s going to work out well. (extreme sarcasm)

The inflatable habs sound like the same idea behind submarines. Instead of an inner tube with an outer hall it's just the inflatable tube. If I am understanding this correctly.

How many trips worth of rockets are they planning on dropping in the ocean? Soon you'll have to go to space to see a reef

Is SpaceX considering building their own space station? I figured they wanted to since they'll have to eventually dock Starships out in space that aren't designed to re-enter Earth's atmosphere.

Everything really hinges on having New Glenn, Vulcan, and Starship all flying operationally. Once those are reliably going to space any huge space station module can be sent up very quickly and cheaply.

I'm still of an opinion that if we want to get serious on mass space deployment we need active support launch rails Bonus to this infrastructure is it doubles as energy storage and transmission over large distance Funny enough, building it is actually within NASA budget possibilities

Not bad, Not B5 or DS9, but not bad. We're still on baby steps. All in good time.

I'm smelling a lotta IF coming off this plan... *crosses fingers*

LOL, Fight Club called it right. Space will be all about corporations!

Blue Origin needs to put something in orbit first

Blue Origin seems to be having trouble with success. Too bad SpaceX can't take over and get the job done. The inflatable habitat modules would make me nervous. Watching those tests where they over pressurize them and they explode is rather visually alarming.

Are they testing for micro meteor strikes that can hit at speeds of 15kmph?

Commercial space experiments will be more cost efficient. For example there’s no need to put humans into space just for experiments. A remotely controlled robot much like remote surgery is meant to be.

Starship booster…perfect size for modules…9 metres in diameter

This space station is not only still too small. Like its predecessor, it's already outdated. The idea of building another station with the same limitations as the ISS, would be a waste of money. The only space station worth building would be a revolving station like the one that Orbital Assembly plans to build called "Voyager". I am not saying that their idea is the best one, but at least their plan is to take advantage of allowing for gravity areas to be available for the main living areas and some work areas, and weightless areas for work and science. Their plan (as best I can remember) is to have a weightless center section that does not rotate, with two outer rotating rings. I think that the outer ring is supposed to have Earth's gravity, and the inner ring is supposed to have Mars's gravity. I do feel, however, that their scale needs to be modified a bit though. Don't get me wrong. That station would be huge, and easily visible from the Earth's surface, without a telescope! It should probably be a larger set of rings to make the spin effect not so bad. I should also insert here, that the station would be better if the center section was longer, with a second set of rings on the other side. This would also allow the ability to create a six-ringed station with the gravities of Earth, Moon, and Mars on both sides. This would allow people to acclimate easier life on each surface, and be better prepared for the lives they are heading towards. These large stations would truly be fully-functional, and 92% self-supporting stations. They would be large enough to support growth habitats to provide the occupants with fresh oxygen and plant-based foods. It would also give us a great model to further explore our solar system. We could build multiple stations that can have several ships dock onto the center sections. And the whole thing can be transported to their orbits around the moon, Mars, and beyond. When the people of the United States started spreading out across the west. It went from a trickle to a tsunami in a very short period of time. And our expansion out into our solar system is going to happen the same way. And the builders of that future need to prepare for it now.

...suuure...., good luck with thia...

Time to get out of LEO. Go to GSO, sun synchronization orbits, tundra orbits, all 5 Libration points….50 years studying and working in Low Earth Orbit is getting a bit stale. Time to Step Up before that next Big Leap.

the new station needs rotating artificial gravity!

Why don’t we put those inflatable modules on starship going to mars?

Look at the companies involved - Blue Origin and Boeing. BO produces cgi presentation but little else. Boeing produces very late, very expensive and largely obsolete solutions. SpaceX is pushing ahead with developing orbital tankers which would be 9m diameter and could be used as a much bigger core sections.

If this ever gets into orbit at least they will be able to get Chinese takeaways from the far bigger Chinese space station being planned.

I'm guessing if they truly want to start this project, they're gonna have to suck it up and ask nicely for Elon Musk to assist with these launches. He is the number 1 provider of crew and supplies to the iss currently. That and he's the cheapest.

Man if only man United we be in mars already ):

7:41 yeah the view of a meteorite coming at you will be overwhelming alright. I think their is a reason the ISS doesn’t have many windows lol. More glass means more areas where micro meteorites can penetrate and cause overwhelming damage 😂😂. Idk how advanced glass has gotten but I don’t see a glass panel stopping a projectile hurdling at 25,000 + MPH I just don’t see it happening. We have all seen the aluminum panel that got hit with a projectile and I’m not scientist but last time I checked glass isn’t aluminum or any thing close to the strength of metals.

I think that it's going to be a million more years to get to the Enterprise 1701. 😁

I think the narrator is too harsh on Bigelow, who single handedly resurrected the TransHab technology from NASA at an age where most successful businessmen are in nursing homes. Bigelow Aerospace fell because the capacity to bring his modules to orbit was not there and he reached the limit of how much of his fortune he was willing to spend on it. The pandemic, the uncertainty regarding space budgets, the extension of life for the ISS and the previous lack of a private-sector initiative for space stations from NASA like the one for launch services eventually killed the company. They did launch 3 modules to prove it and the BEAM module on the ISS.