Billionaires and Tech Barons Vying To Build a Private Space Station (telegraph.co.uk) 31
"Private space stations have been raising billions of dollars in an effort to build future hubs — and even one day cities — in orbit," according to a recent report from the U.K. newspaper, the Telegraph:
Axiom Space, a US business aiming to build its own station, has raised more than $500m (£400m). Vast, a space business backed by crypto billionaire Jed McCaleb, is plotting two stations before the end of the decade. Gravitics, meanwhile, has raised tens of millions of dollars for its modular space "real estate". Nasa itself, along with other space agencies, is planning a further station, Lunar Gateway, which will orbit the Moon. Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin has also announced plans to build a space station by 2027, called Orbital Reef, which it has described as an orbital "mixed-use business park". Working with US aerospace business Sierra Space, Orbital Reef will be made up of inflatable pods, which can be launched on a regular rocket before being "blown up" in space. Sierra Space says these modules could house in-space manufacturing or pharmaceutical technology...
Since 2021, Nasa has also offered to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to private companies to develop commercial space stations that could succeed the ISS. So far, it has handed $400m to companies including Axiom, Blue Origin (which is working with Sierra Space), and Northrop Grumman... Vast hopes to launch its first space station, Haven-1, as soon as 2025. This simple module will be the first privately-run space station and will be occupied by a crew of four over four two week expeditions... While Vast was not one of the businesses to secure funding from Nasa, it hopes by launching the first proof-of-concept space station as soon as next year it can leapfrog rival efforts and claim the agency as an anchor customer. From there, it can target other space agencies or companies looking to conduct research.
Some interesting perspectives from the article:
Since 2021, Nasa has also offered to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to private companies to develop commercial space stations that could succeed the ISS. So far, it has handed $400m to companies including Axiom, Blue Origin (which is working with Sierra Space), and Northrop Grumman... Vast hopes to launch its first space station, Haven-1, as soon as 2025. This simple module will be the first privately-run space station and will be occupied by a crew of four over four two week expeditions... While Vast was not one of the businesses to secure funding from Nasa, it hopes by launching the first proof-of-concept space station as soon as next year it can leapfrog rival efforts and claim the agency as an anchor customer. From there, it can target other space agencies or companies looking to conduct research.
Some interesting perspectives from the article:
- Chris Quilty, an analyst at Quilty Space: "If China were not building its own space station it is arguable whether Nasa would have felt enjoined to maintain a human presence in low Earth orbit."
- Tim Farrar, founder of TMF Associates, which advises some of the world's top space companies: "Unless they either secure government funding or focus on space tourism, they will inevitably have to rely on the largess of either billionaires or gullible investors who are space enthusiasts."
Thanks to Slashdot reader fjo3 for sharing the news.
What ever happened (Score:1)
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Bigelow should've stuck to their core compentency - tea.
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Freshly squeezed oranges, no?
Juice Bigalow.
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Not the same guy, but Bigelow did become a billionaire owning Budget Suites, the terrestrial hotel chain.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Their transhab concept seems an interesting take on being able to make larger constructs that expand, much like the JWST solar sail.
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Their transhab concept seems an interesting take on being able to make larger constructs that expand, much like the JWST solar sail.
Careful... just seeing "trans" triggers some people here.
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Their transhab concept seems an interesting take on being able to make larger constructs that expand, much like the JWST solar sail.
Careful... just seeing "trans" triggers some people here.
You insufferable clod! That male connector that wants to be female just doesn't even work! I tried to make it work with some coax a while back and I can absolutely say that trans-connectors don't work! Have you ever tried to connect a male connector to another male? Or a female to a female? It just isn't possible! And let's not even begin talking about male connectors participating among female ones. It's an abomination! The only thing that works is traditional male-female connector conjugations!
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The only thing that works is traditional male-female connector conjugations!
Nah, I found me some hermaphroditic connectors.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Re:What ever happened (Score:4, Informative)
Those sources said that the company, based in North Las Vegas, Nevada, was halting operations because of what one person described as a “perfect storm of problems” that included the coronavirus pandemic. On March 20, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak signed an emergency directive ordering all “nonessential” businesses to close.
A company spokesperson confirmed March 23 that the company laid off all its employees because of the governor’s order, and that it faced “fines, penalties and threats of having our business license revoked” if it remained open. The spokesperson added that the company planned to hire workers back once the emergency directive was lifted, although other sources interpreted the layoffs as a permanent measure.
Space companies in other states have been able to stay open despite similar restrictions on nonessential businesses. In California, aerospace companies have continued operations even after “stay at home” directives because aerospace manufacturing is considered an essential industry by the federal government.
Billionaires or Gullible Investors (Score:1)
By simple association I believe there billionaires would be gullible as well?
Space: the place where once you start working Jeff Bezos can shut off the oxygen if you don't work hard enough.
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and then you can kill your boss and then the jail / prison system will be forced to pay for your oxygen while waiting for trial
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Perish the thought!
Billionaire denotes having superb acumen, enormous genitalia, and abilities only rivaled by god!
I was thinking laying the foundations for an escape plan after the earth is trashed. I hate we are getting closer to sci-fi dystopia by the moment.
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There was this one Outer Limits episode, where billionaires military etc... fled to a private space station after they f*** up the world. The survivors simply built up the world again under better circumstances and a better society, and when the billionaires etc.. wanted to come back they shot them out of the sky to keep peace on earth!
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Sorry googled it up, it apparently was twilight zone (aka aired around the same time) here is a reference: https://scifi.stackexchange.co... [stackexchange.com]
Got a great name for it too.. (Score:2)
Should call the space station 'Titan'.
*fingers crossed*
Tony Stark did this already (Score:2)
Omega Bacillus. It didn't end well.
https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki... [fandom.com]
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The Epstein Space Island. "Welcome to our station Ms. Kessler, hey hey! No need to break shit! Houston, we have a ^%~ ' [NO CARRIER]
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obligatory movie reference (Score:2)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
I liked it. YMMV.
Re:obligatory book reference (Score:2)
I was bought the book that won this year's Royal Society Book Prize [royalsociety.org].
It would seem that colonising space and other planets isn't quite as easy or risk-free as the Tech Bros think...
Paul Krugman was right (Score:3)
The amounts of capital raised om tje report here is chump change when it comes to the scale needed for permanent space habitats. If they raise $500B and not $500M then you might be talking about something serious. If you aren't on that level why even bother?
Of course what else is some dweeb new billionaire supposed to do with his time anyway? Scoring new money is tedious; what they want now is adulation and worship.
Speaking of which, the one thing sure thing in all of this if they do manage to do anyting is that Musk is going to sell a lot of rides on Starship.
Let those guys see how they like it (Score:1)
Elysium (Score:2)
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Now I'm older I wonder at the naivety of the protagonist in the film. Not that I'll be one of the billionaires living in paradise aboard a luxury space station but its clearly implausible to sustain 8 billion people with a good standard of living
Sooner or later, this planet is going to have to diminish its human population. That may be by people heading off world, but recent events have hinted that it's more likely going to be some massive plague, or maybe it will be some climate disaster. This planet simply can't sustain 8+ billion humans with any reasonable standard of living. Or maybe the entire ecosystem collapses and we all die. Maybe that's an answer to the Fermi Paradox.
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Re: Elysium (Score:2)