At present, the International Space Station (ISS) has been humanity’s orbiting laboratory.
But its planned retirement is approaching at the end of this decade.
The massive station won’t just vanish. It will be guided to a controlled descent, ensuring a safe re-entry over an unpopulated ocean. The deorbit vehicle is expected to be developed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
But the future of human presence in low Earth orbit won’t entirely rely on government-built stations alone. Instead, plans are rapidly taking shape to maintain humanity’s foothold in space through private, commercial space stations.
And the European Space Agency (ESA) is making some big moves to be a key player in this exciting new era.
Reportedly, leading the charge for ESA is a significant agreement with Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin.
Announced at the Paris Air Show, ESA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding – an MoU – with Blue Origin and European aerospace giant Thales Alenia Space. This agreement explores the potential use of Orbital Reef, Blue Origin’s ambitious planned commercial space station.
“Through this MoU, the European Space Agency intends to develop a closer relationship with Blue Origin and Thales Alenia Space for the development of Orbital Reef, that could provide services meeting Europe’s long-term research and commercial needs in alignment with ESA’s recently announced requirements,” the
press statement
from Thales noted.
Using Orbital Reef
Orbital Reef
is envisioned as a truly versatile “mixed-use business park” in low Earth orbit.
It’s designed to initially host up to six people, with the potential to expand to over ten, accommodating a wide array of activities: from cutting-edge research and the thrilling prospect of filmmaking in microgravity, to even the novel concept of a “space hotel.”
The new agreement aims to study sending European payloads and, significantly, European astronauts to Orbital Reef.
It also delves into evaluating potential European contributions to the station’s hardware – ranging from small, crucial subsystems to entire modules.
Furthermore, Thales Alenia Space and Blue Origin are actively exploring the use of future European commercial services for transporting cargo and crew to and from the station, fostering a robust European industrial presence.
Race to the commercial space station
Reportedly
, ESA is already testing these new approaches. Through private astronaut missions to the ISS, the agency is gaining invaluable experience.
This includes sending ESA reserve astronauts, such as Sweden’s Marcus Wandt on the Ax-3 mission last year (January-February 2024), and Poland’s Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, who is scheduled for the upcoming Ax-4 mission (though Ax-4 has experienced some delays and is currently targeting a new launch date in June 2025).
These shorter missions are particularly valuable as they allow astronauts to dedicate their time primarily to scientific research. These types of missions maximise the output from microgravity, free from the day-to-day maintenance tasks of long-duration crews.
This strategic move by ESA with Blue Origin spotlights a fascinating dynamic in the evolving space landscape.
Currently, SpaceX remains a dominant force in the launch and crew transport to the ISS. The company is working to transport astronauts to the Moon, and the grander plan extends towards the ultimate goal of Mars colonization.
It will be interesting to see how these private space agencies, with their distinct philosophies, collaborate and compete in the years to come.
ESA is also exploring diverse options. A year earlier, they inked a similar deal with Vast, another private company developing its own commercial station, Haven-1.
Meanwhile,
NASA
itself is actively fostering the design and development of multiple commercial space stations, including Starlab.