Jeff Bezos has announced plans to launch a commercial space station through space tourism company, Blue Origin. Named “Orbital Reef,” the station is hoped to be operational by the end of the decade. The company claims the station will host up to 10 people and will function as a business park with mixed-use. Sierra Space and Boeing are partners on the project.
The station would be 32,000 square feet and would offer a location to conduct research, make films in microgravity, and would also function as a space hotel. Blue Origin and Sierra Space did not reveal estimate building costs, while Jeff Bezos is committed to spending $1 billion every year on Blue Origin. Nasa is searching for a replacement for the International Space Station after 2030, as funding is guaranteed until 2030, but the space outpost needs repairs. Nasa announced earlier this year it would contribute $400 million in private contracts to companies to assist in replacing the station. There will be competition for the funding between private companies as other partnerships promising to launch space stations have been formed earlier this week.
Read more: Blue Origin: Jeff Bezos unveils plans for ‘space business park’
