Sierra Space has announced the completion of a new full-scale burst test, exploding one of the inflatable modules it is developing as part of the construction of a commercial space station.
Sierra Space’s “extreme burst pressure test” will be conducted on June 18, 2024. Inflatable Space Station Module The full-scale test unit, built to be more than 20 feet (6 meters) tall, is comparable in size to a typical single-family home and has a volume roughly one-third that of a real unit. International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) has a volume of 10,600 cubic feet (300 cubic meters), enough space for four astronauts and their training and scientific equipment. Sierra Space he says.
This latest burst test is part of Sierra Space’s continuing hardware development. Orbital ReefThis commercial station was conceived in partnership with Blue Origin to replace the International Space Station (ISS) after it is decommissioned. Beyond 2030.
“We are 100% committed to maintaining America’s leadership in low Earth orbit, and Sierra Space will lead the way in building the first commercial space station to replace the International Space Station after it is retired, ensuring there is no gap in low Earth orbit,” said Sierra Space CEO Tom Vice. statement.
“Our innovative, scalable space station technology will reinvent the space station. For the first time, our technology will deliver sound unit economics, ushering in the full commercialization of space. Our biotech and industrial partners will leverage our Factory of the Future to develop new products that will profoundly disrupt terrestrial markets and benefit life on Earth.”
Recent test results indicate that the safety level is: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
This latest successful test Round Back in December Similar results were obtained for operating pressures, which were significantly above the safety factors recommended by NASA.
As a result of these tests, Sierra Space continues to move forward toward flight certification, allowing it to begin the process of preparing for the first tests of a larger version of its 17,600 cubic foot (500 cubic meter) space station platform in 2025.
“No one is moving as fast as Sierra Space in terms of developing actual hardware, stress testing it at full scale, and demonstrating repeatability. We’ve taken soft goods systems that very few companies in the world have been able to design, and delivered consistent, continuous results,” Sean Buckley, who leads module development at Sierra Space, said in the release.
“The success of our second full-scale test is absolutely game-changing. We now know we can deliver the equivalent or even more of the entire habitable volume of the International Space Station in a single launch.”
So far, NASA has awarded Orbital Reef $172 million through the agency’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development (CLDP) program, which aims to work with industry to build a commercial space station to replace the ISS, which is currently scheduled to be retired in 2030.
