NASA destroyed a full-sized, inflatable Orbital Reef commercial space station prototype, under development by Blue Origin and Sierra Space, in the name of science. This inflatable habitat is constructed of high-strength webbings and fabric that form a solid structure once pressurized.
Engineers performed the burst test on Sierra Space’s LIFE habitat structure using testing capabilities at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The multiple layers of soft goods materials that compose the shell are compactly stowed in a payload fairing and inflated when ready for use, enabling Orbital Reef to launch on a single rocket.
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This is an exciting test by Sierra Space for Orbital Reef, showing industry’s commitment and capability to develop innovative technologies and solutions for future commercial destinations. Every successful development milestone by our partners is one more step to achieving our goal of enabling commercial low Earth orbit destinations and expanding the low Earth orbit marketplace,” said Angela Hart, manager of NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program.
