Archinect - News

Blue Origin plans to build a 'mixed-use' space station by the end of the decade

2021-11-01T18:13:00-04:00

Blue Origin, the space company owned by Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, is teaming up with other firms to build a space station in Earth orbit. The group announced its plans on Monday, revealing the latest concept for a privately built orbital outpost that could replace or complement the International Space Station.

Called Orbital Reef, the proposed space station is described as a “mixed-use business park” in space. The project’s announcement comes months after Blue Origin completed its first human space flight, which included Bezos along with three others. Partners in the project include Sierra Space, Boeing, Redwire Space, Genesis Engineering Solutions, and Arizona State University.

As per Blue Origin’s announcement, Orbital Reef “will provide the essential infrastructure needed to scale economic activity and open new markets in space.” The company intends for the station to serve a range of customers from space agencies to media and travel companies. They also claim that the station will start operating in the second half of this decade.

Previously on Archinect: Jeff Bezos wants to go to space because "it's important"

China begins research into constructing kilometer-spanning spacecraft

2021-09-01T16:23:00-04:00

A mega spacecraft assembled in orbit is among projects that Chinese researchers have been invited to study, as the country expands plans for future space exploration and long-term crewed missions. The National Natural Science Foundation of China has called on scientists to join a five-year project to study the mechanics of an “ultra-large spacecraft spanning kilometres”

This is among 10 proposed research projects released in August by the foundation’s mathematical and physical sciences department, which will provide funding of up to $2.3 million to five projects. The project will gather researchers to investigate how this endeavor could be realized, exploring the engineering challenges of such a major undertaking. For example, according to the project’s outline, the modular spacecraft would have to be assembled in space through a series of separate trips due to its size. To limit the number of launches and construction costs, researchers will be tasked with minimizing the weight of the spacecraft.

According to the South China Morning Post, China has invested heavily in its space program, with projects including sending a functional rover on Mars and the development of its Tiangong space station.

In regards to the kilometer-spanning speculative project, the foundation states, “[Such a spacecraft] is a major strategic aerospace equipment for the fu...

What will space exploration look like in the near future? The inaugural Outer Space competition winners propose their architectural visions

2019-09-17T00:00:00-04:00

Many of us have long been captivated by the fantastical sci-fi visions of space exploration from previous decades, but are these images still the best representation of our future in outer space? For the inaugural Outer Space competition organized by Blank Space (the creators of the popular Fairy Tales Architecture Competition), architects and designers from around the planet were challenged to envision what space exploration could look like within the next two centuries.

Through intricate stories and original artwork, entrants considered how today's scientific and technological advances can shape futuristic visions of space exploration in the near future. “What kinds of structures will be developed to move, house and sustain people? How will robotics, AI, autonomous spacecraft, and satellites enhance our reach?,” Blank Space writes.

The esteemed jury — which included astronaut Chris Hadfield, architect David Benjamin of The Living, Studio Drift, Chris Precht, and more — evaluated ...

Jeff Bezos wants to go to space because "it's important"

2019-07-19T16:08:00-04:00

Amazon boss Jeff Bezos is the richest person in the world with a current net worth of $125 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaire Index. And he’s investing much of his Amazon fortune in the development of space technologies through his aerospace company Blue Origin. Why? “Because I think it’s important,” Bezos tells Norah O’Donnell of CBS Evening News in an interview which aired Tuesday.

In a CBS Evening News special, Amazon's Jeff Bezos shares with Norah O'Donnell the importance of his space initiatives and his aerospace company Blue Origin. In a passionate voice, Bezos exclaims, "We humans have to go to space if we are going to continue to have a thriving civilization."

He goes on to discuss the world's current state and the danger it's under. From overpopulation, climate change, pollution, and big industry, Bezos proclaims, "We are in the process of destroying this planet. And we have sent robotic probes to every planet in the solar system — this is the good one. So, we have to preserve this planet."

Bezos isn't the first person to dream about living in space. His goals for using Blue Origin as a catalyst to make his space city possible has undergone much criticism. Perhaps his aspirations are in the right place, but his plans for this "possible future" have created quite the response from the general public. Critics like Fred Scharmen have shared their reactio...

Is Jeff Bezos' dream for a city in space just a sales pitch? Fred Scharmen breaks it down

2019-05-13T21:00:00-04:00

Now, in 2019, Jeff Bezos wants his private space company to take over the public imagination about life in space. Bezos is the head of a retail empire, and he knows how to sell an image, but what he’s offering today is a watered-down version of nostalgia for yesterday’s future. Bezos’s proposal is a version of O’Neill’s project that somehow manages to look and feel less futuristic than its predecessor.

The possibility of humans living in space is nothing new. Authors, scientists, and designers have all dreamed and formulated how this could be possible. Amazon founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos, recently pitched his idea for space habitation and how his private space company Blue Origin would make this possible. After looking at rendered images of Bezos' idea some have noticed the stark similarities between them and former Princeton physicist Gerard O'Neill's work presented in 1975. These similarities are intentional due to Bezos being a former student of O'Neill's. Architectural academic, designer and researcher Fred Scharmen shared with CityLab his thoughts on the new project and its relation to O'Neill's idea.

Rendering of Gerard O'Neill's space colony made by Rick Guidice for NASA in the 1970s. Image © NASA Ames Research Center

Rendered image of Jeff Bezos" Blue Origin space city was inspired by former professor Gerard O'Neill. Image © Blue Origin

"With so many similarities evident be...

Foster + Partners | Branch Technology win Phase 2, Level 1 of NASA 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge

2017-05-09T19:42:00-04:00

The Foster + Partners and Branch Technology team recently won first prize in the NASA 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge's Phase 2: Level 1 Compression Test Competition. The three-phase Challenge envisions a future where autonomous machines can help build extra-terrestrial shelters for human habitation. Phase 2 is divided into three levels, with each one focusing on a different structural challenge.

After winning second place in Phase 1 in 2015, Foster + Partners teamed up with Branch Technology to refine the original concept.

In Phase 2 - Level 1, the seven competing teams had to use a combination of recycled mission materials and indigenous Martian regolith to 3D-print a truncated cone and a cylinder, which went through compression testing to assess their suitability as structural components.

Foster + Partners and Branch Technology's Cone Print. Courtesy of Foster + Partners | Branch Technology.

Foster + Partners and Bran...

NASA to start testing inflatable "space house" concept

2016-04-04T20:11:00-04:00

NASA is hoping a new expandable habitat might one day give astronauts a little more alone time. The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, or BEAM, will be ferried to the ISS later this spring for a series of tests expected to last several years...experiments will help determine the viability of expandable habitats, which weigh less and occupy less space on a rocket, as laboratories and living quarters for future deep-space missions.

NASA launches competition for structures built in situ using Martian resources

2015-10-14T16:45:00-04:00

Living off the land is different when the land is 140 million miles away, so NASA is looking for innovative ideas to use in situ (in place) Martian resources to help establish a human presence on the Red Planet.

After NASA announced strong evidence of the presence of liquid water on Mars, efforts to bring Earthlings to the red planet seems to be picking up steam. Elon Musk is talking about nuking its poles and design competitions, like the 3-D Printed Habitat Challenge, are increasingly looking at extraterrestrial design, garnering responses by such luminary architectural forces as Foster + Partners.

Now, NASA has launched a competition calling for innovative Martian structures to be built in situ with locally-available resources.

Mars is 141 million miles away, which means even an extra carry-on will cost you. So any type trip to the planet will greatly benefit from using local materials to set up camp. NASA estimates that for every kilogram of native materials used, you save 11 kg of propellant and spacecraft mass needed for launching to Low Earth Orbit.

According to the competition website: "One could use surface-based materials such as regolith or basalt to produce structural elements tha...

California or Mars? Test how well you can spot your own planet from the red planet

2015-10-14T14:08:00-04:00

Sure, California has a lot more drinkable liquid water than Mars, and we hope it stays that way. But we couldn't help but notice some similarities between the landscapes of the Red Planet and the Golden State. After all, JPL scientists use California's deserts as a stand in for testing Mars rovers. How well can you tell these two arid places apart? Take this quiz to find out. No space suit required.