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TESSARAE for orbital biolabs and more

Conceptual illustration of an orbital biolab constructed using TESSERAE architecture. Credit: Aurelia Institute

At last year’s International Conference on Environmental Systems (ICES), Aurelia Institute Vice President of Engineering Annika Rollock presented a paper on development of an orbital TESSERAE habitat to conduct biotechnology research. TESSERAE (Tessellated Electromagnetic Space Structures for the Exploration of Reconfigurable, Adaptive Environments) covered previously on SSP, was conceived and developed by Ariel Ekblaw, cofounder and CEO of Aurelia as part of her doctoral thesis at MIT. A TED Talk by Ekblaw from last April provides more detail on the concept with footage of prototypes demonstrated in space on the International Space Station (ISS).

The paper “Development of a Flight-Scale TESSERAE Habitat Concept for Biotechnology Research Outpost Applications” by Rollock, Max Pommier, William J. O’Hara, and Ekblaw, presents preliminary findings from a case study on the TESSERAE habitat which aims to bridge traditional space station architectures with future-oriented, adaptive designs. Legacy space habitats, such as the ISS, rely on monolithic hulls or cylindrical modules constrained by launch vehicle fairings, limiting scalability and geometric flexibility. TESSERAE offers a departure from these norms by using flat-packed, tile-based modules that self-assemble in orbit to form a truncated icosahedron. This structure, commonly known as a “buckyball” sharing the same shape as the carbon molecule buckminsterfullerene (C60) named after architect and inventor R. Buckminster Fuller due to its resemblance to his geodesic dome designs, will enable larger volumes and novel configurations when connected together.

The authors provide more detail on the concept referencing a trade study presented at ICES 2023 by the Aurelia Institute, which reviewed historical and contemporary space architecture to identify gaps and opportunities. They underscore the need for habitats that are both innovative and grounded in proven engineering principles. The paper serves as a “dynamic snapshot” of the ongoing TESSERAE case study as of spring 2024, inviting collaboration rather than presenting a finalized design. It envisions a platform based on TESSERAE as a commercial biotechnology research outpost in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), aligning with NASA’s Commercial LEO Destinations (CLD) goals and the burgeoning market for microgravity-enabled research. The paper highlights subsystem analyses for environmental control, thermal management, and power, alongside novel interior layouts informed by user research and terrestrial architecture best practices.

The authors make the case that self-assembling structures like TESSERAE could revolutionize human spaceflight by enabling adaptive environments that support diverse crews, including non-professional astronauts. This is particularly timely as the ISS nears decommissioning in 2031, necessitating new orbital platforms for critical research with increasing involvement by private industry..

The mission overview lays out one possible operational vision for the 2030s: a TESSERAE microgravity platform sustaining human life, scientific inquiry with a biotechnology focus, and ancillary activities in LEO. Designed for a crew of four—two biotechnologists and two career astronauts—it features biotechnology applications, capitalizing on microgravity’s unique properties for protein crystallization and biologic medicines production.

Protein crystal growth in space yields superior quality due to reduced sedimentation and convection, facilitating precise structural data for drug discovery. The paper references applications in treating among other maladies, muscular dystrophy, breast cancer, and periodontal disease, citing decades of ISS-based experiments by pharmaceutical firms. Similarly, biologic medicines—proteins, enzymes, nucleic acids, and antibodies derived from natural sources—benefit from low-gravity acceleration in discovery and preclinical testing. The global biologics market is projected to reach over $700 billion by 2030, underscoring the potential economic upside. Innovations like Redwire’s seed-based crystal manufacturing and Varda’s in-orbit ritonavir production (an HIV antiviral) have demonstrated feasibility, with microgravity enabling bulk-free returns via seeds or small samples.

The concept of operations (ConOps) details a 32-tile assembly (20 hexagons, 12 pentagons, each 2.26 m edge length, 0.46 m thick), launched in a dispenser stacked aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle. After dispensing out of the payload bay, orbital self-assembly employs electro-permanent magnets for bonding at the tile edges, forming a 493 m³ pressurized volume post-clamping and gasketing. Outfitting prioritizes autonomy: critical systems integrate into the tiles, with secondary elements (e.g., storage, mobility aids) added via robotics or minimal EVAs. After full systems checkout post-assembly, operations include 1–6 month crewed expeditions, cargo resupplies, and uncrewed intervals.

Comparative occupancy analysis positions TESSERAE favorably: at 123 m³ per person, it rivals the ISS (168 m³ for six) and Tiangong (113 m³ for three) emphasizing permanent quarters and lab space for its four-person upper limit, ensuring psychological and functional adequacy. This aligns with NASA’s CLD objectives, fostering commercial viability while accommodating “visiting scientists” alongside professionals.

With respect to interior concepts and design principles, TESSERAE’s non-cylindrical, open-central geometry introduces unique interior challenges and opportunities, diverging from conventional axial modules. The paper explores layouts tailored for diverse crews, drawing on user interviews (astronauts, analogue astronauts, scientists) and literature like Sharma et al.’s Astronaut Ethnography Project and Häuplik-Meusburger’s activity-based approach. Five core design principles and “desirements” guide this strategy: a human-centered approach accounting for bodily navigation and psychosocial needs; contextual affordances leveraging microgravity (e.g., multi-axis movement in open volumes); sensory mediation via lighting, acoustics, and airflow for zoned activities; accessibility with ample, clutter-free stowage; and a balance of permanence (fixed volumes) with flexibility (reconfigurable elements like folding partitions).

These principles inform environmental mediations for biotechnology: labs require vibration isolation and containment for experiments, while communal spaces mitigate isolation via views and biophilic design elements. The paper discusses layouts prioritizing flow, orientation, and adaptability. One configuration features a central “node” for socialization and exercise, ringed by radial spokes: private quarters, labs, hygiene nodes, and utility closets embedded in the shell. This exploits the buckyball’s symmetry for efficient use of space, with tethers and handrails guiding microgravity transit. Labs allocate ~100 m³ total, segmented for crystallization (vibration-dampened gloveboxes) and biologics (flow benches, incubators), in accordance with preliminary user needs.

Diagram (Figure 5 from paper) depicting four internal layout options, with key space dividers and elevation maps depicting the arrangement of functional areas on each external tile. Credits: Annika E. Rollock et al. / Aurelia Institute
Exploded view (Figure 6 from paper) of the Lofted layout option for the TESSERAE habitat. Credits: Annika E. Rollock et al. / Aurelia Institute

Sensory design mitigates monotony: variable LED lighting simulates diurnal cycles, acoustic panels dampen noise, and materiality ( e.g., fabric panels) enhances tactility. Stowage integrates nets and modular racks, addressing chronic ISS issues. Flexibility allows crew reconfiguration via magnetic mounts, supporting mission evolution. Hygiene and galley zones emphasize efficiency, with water-efficient fixtures tied to the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS). Overall, interiors blend spacecraft rigor with architectural humanism, fostering well-being for non-experts.

The authors provide a subsystem analysis discussing trades for ECLSS, thermal control, and power. ECLSS recommendations draw from ISS heritage leveraging NASA’s Carbon Dioxide Removal and Oxygen Generation Assemblies but adapt to TESSERAE’s modularity: distributed nodes per each individual tile reduce single-point failures, with regenerative loops for water and air.

Thermal management addresses the buckyball’s high surface-area-to-volume ratio, prone to radiative losses. Multi-layer insulation and variable-emittance coatings are proposed, integrated into tiles for passive control, supplemented by active radiators and heat exchangers. Finite element modeling was used to inform stress distribution across the tile seams.

Power generation leverages roll-out solar arrays deployed post-assembly, sized for 20–30 kW demands for the needs of the labs, ECLSS and other power systems. Trades evaluate photovoltaics vs. emerging tech, prioritizing launch mass. Batteries buffer eclipse periods, with guidance navigation integrated with attitude control via control gyroscopes, minimizing propellant use.

These analyses emphasize scalability: TESSERAE’s tiles enable redundant, upgradable subsystems, contrasting with legacy monolithic designs.

The paper identifies a few challenges. For instance, assembly reliability (magnet actuation in vacuum), pressurization integrity at seams, and outfitting logistics. But opportunities abound in biotech such as enabling “fly-your-own-experiment” for scientists, accelerating drug pipelines, and demonstrating adaptive habitats for lunar/Mars precursors. User research highlights psychosocial needs—privacy amid openness, sensory variety against confinement—which will inform iterative designs.

Future work matures hardware testing in microgravity (e.g., parabolic flights), refines trades via modeling, and pursues partnerships for CLD certification. The authors invite input, positioning TESSERAE as a collaborative pivot toward reconfigurable space living.

This case study encapsulates one of TESSERAE’s promises: a self-assembling, biotech-focused habitat merging innovation with pragmatism. By the 2030s, it could sustain crews in 493 m³ of adaptive volume in LEO, tapping into a $700B+ market while advancing human-centered space architecture. Preliminary insights from this work — from ConOps to design of interiors— lay the groundwork for transformative outposts that not only return benefits to human lives on Earth, but are preparing humanity to become a spacefaring species.

While the Aurelia Institute is a nonprofit organization, Ariel Ekblaw cofounded a startup called Rendezvous Robotics which aims to generate revenue building large-scale structures like antenna apertures, space solar power arrays and orbital data centers, all autonomously fabricated in space using TESSARAE. Rendezvous Robotics recently partnered with another startup called Starcloud which plans to fabricate gigawatt-scale orbital AI data centers using Ekblaw’s invention, a potentially huge new market forecasted to be just over the horizon by several tech leaders in the news recently. Blue Origin CEO Jeff Bezos just announced he’ll be leading a new AI company called Project Prometheus and says AI orbital data centers are coming in the next decade or two. Last May former Google chief executive Eric Schmidt acquired Relativity Space to put data centers in orbit. Earlier this month Elon Musk says in not more than 5 years, the lowest cost way to do AI compute, will be in space. And Mach33 Research, an investment research firm focused on the industrialization of space, predicts that orbital compute energy will be cheaper than on Earth by 2030. TESSARAE could be leveraged to assemble these space-based hyperscalers autonomously and quickly while proving out this reconfigurable technology which can be used to build large-scale adaptable habitats and other infrastructure in space for a multitude of applications. As stated on the their website,

“Aurelia is working toward geodesic dome habitats, microgravity concert halls, space cathedrals—the next generation of space architecture that will delight, inspire, and protect humanity for our future in the near, and far, reaches of space.”

Artist illustration of a habitat constructed from TESSARAE modules in Earth orbit. Credit: Aurelia Institute

Finally, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 1975 NASA Space Settlements: A Design Study, the Institute announced today they are sponsoring The Aurelia Institute Prize in Design for Space Urbanism. An award of up to $20,000 will granted for concepts of a functioning space station in one of three categories: A space station in LEO or at a Lagrange point; a space habitat in lunar orbit or on the surface of the Moon; or an automated industrial facility (e.g. focused on space mining, energy, biotech, etc.) in one of those locations.

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Offworld’s Prospector 1 mission to demonstrate ISRU on the Moon

Concept illustration of Offworld’s Prospector 1 Mobile Excavator. Credits: Dallas Bienhoff / Offworld, Inc.

At the intersection of AI, swarm robotics and mining technology lies the key to sustainable, affordable space development. Offworld, Inc. is on the cutting edge of this frontier with their suite of diverse robot species that when coordinated with collective intelligence, will enable sustainable in situ resource utilization (ISRU) thereby lowering the cost of establishing settlements on the Moon and beyond, while kickstarting a thriving off Earth economy. In a presentation to the Future In-Space Operations (FISO) Telecon on July 24, Space Systems Architect Dallas Bienhoff described Offworld’s plans for an ambitious demonstration mission called Prospector 1.

In April 2023, OffWorld Europe entered into an agreement with the Luxembourg Space Agency to collaborate on a Lunar ISRU exploration program commissioned by the European Space Agency. The multi-year initiative will develop a processing system focused on harvesting and utilizing lunar ice resources. The program will develop a Lunar Processing Module (LPM) to be integrated into a mobile excavator that will be launched to Moon’s south pole on the Prospector 1 mission currently scheduled for late 2027. The goal of Prospector 1 is to demonstrate the capability of processing icy lunar regolith to produce oxygen and hydrogen. The LPM when loaded with icy regolith will process the lunar soil to extract water, then via electrolysis produce oxygen and hydrogen. The module’s hopper is designed to receive up to 50 kg of regolith and batch process 2.5kg/hour. The unit will be housed on a mobile excavator massed at 2500 kg. Offworld has already completed TRL4 testing on the LPM in their Luxembourg office.

Offworld is evaluating several suppliers for delivery of their payload to the Moon. These include Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 Lander, Astrobotic’s Griffin, Intuitive Machines NOVA-D and the SpaceX Starship.

The company is exploring a variety of options for generation of power for the mission. Of course landers provide some minimal power but not nearly enough for processing lunar regolith. One promising system under consideration is the Vertical Solar Array Technology (VSAT) under development by Astorbotic which will provide 10kw of power (only in sunlight). But wait, there’s more! Astrobotic announced this month that they were just awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award by NASA to develop a larger version of the array called VSAT-XL capable of delivering 50kw. Designed to track the sun, VSAT is ideal for location at the lunar south pole where the sun’s rays are at very low elevation and provide semi-permanent illumination on the rims of permanently shadowed craters.

Comparison of relative sizes of the two VSAT solar arrays. Credit: Astrobotic

Another innovative alternative is a power source called the Nuclear Thermionic Avalanche Cell (NTAC ) under development by Tamer Space, a company providing a range of power and construction resources for settlements on the Moon, the Cislunar economy and sustainable pioneering of Mars. The device is an electrical generator that converts nuclear gamma-ray photons directly to electric power in a compact, reliable package with high power density capable of long-life operation without refueling. NTAC can provide higher power levels (e.g. starting at 100kw) and is not dependent on the sun to enable operations through the lunar night should Offworld elect to locate their facility far from the Moon’s poles or in permanently shadowed regions. Tamer described their technology at the 2023 Space Resources Roundtable

Image of a research prototype of the Nuclear Thermionic Avalanche Cell: Credit: Tamer Space

After Propector 1, Offworld’s follow on plans envision a second Prospector 2 to be launched in the 2029 timeframe. This mission will ramp up capability to include multiple robot species such as an excavator, hauler, and processor. In addition, liquefaction will be added to the process stream (not just gaseous products) and pilot plant capabilities will be demonstrated to reduce risk for the next mission. In 2031, a formal pilot plant will be established with multiple excavators and haulers. The facility will have a fixed processing plant and storage facilities capable of producing tons of water, oxygen, and hydrogen. By the end of 2034, OffWorld plans to launch an industrial scale ISRU plant with output of 100s of tons of volatiles, elements and bulk regolith per year.

Bienhoff said at the conclusion of his presentation that Offworld’s long term vision for lunar operations include: “Industrial scale ISRU, 10s – 100s of tons of product per year – by product [I mean] that’s processed regolith, that’s oxygen, that’s hydrogen, that’s water, that’s perhaps metals. We plan to monetize or use every gram we excavate. That’s a tall order, but in order to have a thriving lunar community, we need to produce as much as we can on the Moon, for the Moon, before we think about exporting from the Moon.”

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Greater Earth (GE⊕) Lunar Power Station

Conceptual illustration showing the first iteration of the proposed design of a GE⊕ Lunar Power Station beaming power to facilities on the Moon. Credit: Astrostrom

In response to ESA’s Open Space Innovation Platform Campaign on Clean Energy – New Ideas for Solar Power from Space, the Swiss company Astrostrom laid out a comprehensive plan last June for a solar power satellite built using resources from the Moon. Called the Greater Earth Lunar Power Station (GE⊕-LPS, using the Greek astronomical symbol for Earth, ⊕ ), the ambitious initiative would construct a solar power satellite located at the Earth-Moon L1 Lagrange point to beam power via microwaves to a lunar base. Greater Earth and the GE⊕ designation are terms coined by the leader of the study, Arthur Woods, and are “…based on Earth’s true cosmic dimensions as defined by the laws of physics and celestial mechanics.” From his website of the same name, Woods provides this description of the GE⊕ region: “Earth’s gravitational influence extends 1.5 million kilometers in all directions from its center where it meets the gravitational influence of the Sun. This larger sphere, has a diameter of 3 million kilometers which encompasses the Moon, has 13 million times the volume of the physical Earth and through it, passes some more than 55,000 times the amount of solar energy which is available on the surface of the planet.”

GE⊕-LPS would demonstrate feasibility for several key technologies needed for a cislunar economy and is envisioned to provide a hub of operations in the Greater Earth environment. Eventually, the system could be scaled up to provide clean energy for the Earth as humanity transitions away from fossil fuel consumption later this century.

One emerging technology proposed to aid in construction of the system is a lunar space elevator (LSE) which could efficiently transport materials sourced on the lunar surface to L1. SSP explored this concept in a paper by Charles Radley, a contributor to the Astrostrom report, in a previous post showing that a LSE will be feasible for the Moon in the next few decades (an Earth space elevator won’t be technologically possible in the near future).

Another intriguing aspect of the station is that it would provide artificial gravity in a tourist destination habitat shielded by water and lunar regolith. This facility could be a prototype for future free space settlements in cislunar environs and beyond.

Fabrication of the GE⊕-LPS would depend heavily on automated operations on the Moon such as robotic road construction, mining and manufacturing using in situ resources. Technology readiness levels in these areas are maturing both in terrestrial mining operations, which could be utilized in space, as well as fabrication of solar cells using lunar regolith demonstrated recently by Blue Origin. That company’s Blue Alchemist’s process for autonomously fabricating photovoltaic cells from lunar soil was considered by Astrostrom in the report as a potential source for components of the GE⊕-LPS, if further research can close the business case.

Most of the engineering challenges needed to realize the GE⊕-LPS require no major technological breakthroughs when compared to, for example (given in the report), those needed to commercialize fusion energy. These include further development in the technologies of the lunar space elevator, in situ lunar solar cell manufacturing, lunar material process engineering, thin-film fabrication, lunar propellent production, and a European heavy lift reusable launch system. The latter assumes the system would be solely commissioned by the EU, the target market for the study. Of course, cooperation with the U.S. could leverage SpaceX or Blue Origin reusable launchers expected to mature later this decade. With respect to fusion energy development, technological advances and venture funding have been accelerating over the last few years. Helion, a startup in Everett, Washington is claiming that it will have grid-ready fusion power by 2028 and already has Microsoft lined up as a customer.

Astrostrom estimates that an initial investment of around €10 billion / year over a decade for a total of €100 billion ($110 billion US) would be required to fund the program. They suggest the finances be managed by a consortium of European countries called the Greater Earth Energy Organization (GEEO) to supply power initially to that continent, but eventually expanding globally. Although the budget dwarfs the European Space Agency’s annual expenditures ( €6.5 billion ), the cost does not seem unreasonable when compared to the U.S. allocation of $369 billion in incentives for energy and climate-related programs in the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act. The GE⊕-LPS should eventually provide a return on investment through increasing profits from a cislunar economy, peaceful international cooperation and benefits from clean energy security.

The GE⊕-LPS adds to a growing list of space-based solar power concepts being studied by several nations to provide clean, reliable baseload energy alternatives for an expanding economy that most experts agree needs to eventually migrate away from dependence on fossil fuels to reduce carbon emissions. Competition will produce the most cost effective system which, coupled with an array of other carbon-free energy sources including nuclear fission and fusion, can provide “always on” power during a gradual, carefully planned transition away from fossil fuels. The GE⊕-LPS is particularly attractive as it would leverage resources from the Moon and develop lunar manufacturing infrastructure while serving a potential tourist market that could pave the way for space settlement.

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Solar cell manufacturing using lunar resources

Conceptual rendering of a Blue Alchemist solar cell fabrication facility on the Moon. Credits: Blue Origin

Jeff Bezos’ new initiative called Blue Alchemist made a splash last month boasting that the team had made photovoltaic cells, cover glass and aluminum wire from lunar regolith simulant. This is an impressive accomplishment if they have defined the end-to-end process which (with refinements for flight readiness) would essentially provide a turnkey system to fabricate solar arrays to generate power on the Moon. The announcement claimed that the approach “…can scale indefinitely, eliminating power as a constraint anywhere on the Moon.” Actually, this may not be possible at first for a single installation as surface based solar arrays can only collect sunlight during the lunar day and would have to charge batteries for use during the 14 day lunar night, unless they were located at the Peaks of Eternal Light near the Moon’s south pole. But if scaling up manufacturing is possible, coupled with production of transmission wire as described, a network of solar power stations in lower latitudes could be connected to distribute power where it is needed during the lunar night.

Very few details were revealed about the design outputs of the end products (not surprisingly) in Blue Origin’s announcement, particularly the “working prototype” solar cell. An image of the component was provided but it was unclear if the process fabricated the cells into a solar array or if the energy conversion efficiency was comparable to current state of the art (around 21%). Nor do we know how massive the manufacturing equipment would be, how much periodic maintenance is needed or if humans are required in the process. Still, if a turnkey manufacturing plant could be placed on the Moon and it’s output was solar arrays sourced from in situ materials, it would significantly reduce the costs of lunar settlements by not having to transport the power generation equipment from Earth. This particular process has the added benefit of producing oxygen as a byproduct, a valuable resource for life support and propulsion.

Research into production of solar cells on the Moon from in situ materials is not new. NASA was looking into it as recently as 2005 and there are studies even dating back to 1989. Blue’s process produces iron, silicon, and aluminum via electrolysis of melted regolith, using an electrical current to separate these useful elements from the oxygen to which they are chemically bound. Solar cells are produced by vapor deposition of the silicon. The older studies referenced above proposed similar processes.

It would be interesting to perform an economic analysis comparing the cost of a solar power system supplied from Earth by a company focusing on reducing launch costs (say, SpaceX) with that of a company like Blue Origin that fabricated the equipment from lunar materials. Peter Hague has done just that in a blog post on Planetocracy using his mass value metric.

Hague runs through the numbers comparing SpaceX’s predicted cost per kilogram delivered to the Moon by Starship with that of Blue Origin’s New Glenn. At current estimates the former is 5 times cheaper than the latter. Thus, to best Starship in mass value, Blue Alchemist would have to produce 5kg of solar panels for every 1kg of equipment delivered to the Moon, after which it would be the economic winner. Siting a recent analysis of lunar in situ resource utilization by Francisco J. Guerrero-Gonzalez and Paul Zabel (Technical University of Munich and German Aerospace Center (DLR), respectively) predicting comparable mass output rates, Hague believes this estimate is reasonable.

Perhaps we should not get ahead of ourselves as Blue Origin’s timeline for development of their New Glenn heavy-lift launch vehicle is moving a glacial pace and one wonders if they have the cart before the horse by siphoning off funds for Blue Alchemist. Jeff Bezos is free to spend his money any way he wishes and definitely seems to be in no hurry.

Conceptual illustration of New Glenn heavy-lift launch vehicle on ascent to orbit. Credits: Blue Origin

But SpaceX’s Starship has not made it to space yet either and after we see the first orbital flight, hopefully as early as next week, the company will have to demonstrate reliable reusability with hundreds of flights to achieve economies of scale commensurate with their predicted launch cost of $2M – $10M. As SpaceX has demonstrated with it’s launch vehicle development process it is not a question of if, it is one of when.

Image of full stack Starship at Starbase in Boco Chica, TX. Credits: SpaceX

As both companies refine their approach to space development, will it be the tortoise or the hare that wins the mass value price race for the cheapest approach to power on the Moon? Or will each company end up complementing each other with energy and transportation infrastructure in cislunar space? Either way, it will be exciting to watch.

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NewSpace features the dawn of the age of space resources

Illustration showing concept of operations of the RedWater mining system for water extraction on Mars developed by Honeybee Robotics. Credits: Mellerowicz et al. via New Space

The editorial in the latest issue of New Space, coauthored by two of SSP’s favorite ISRU stars, Kevin Cannon and George Sowers, describes the dawning age of space resource utilization. Cannon, who guest edits this issue, and Sowers are joined by the rest of the leadership team of the graduate program in Space Resources at the The Colorado School of Mines: Program Director Angel Abbud-Madrid and professor Chris Dreyer. The program, created in 2017, has over 120 students currently enrolled. These are the scientists, engineers, economists, entrepreneurs and policymakers that will be leading the economic development of the high frontier, creating the companies and infrastructure for in situ resource utilization that will enable affordable and prosperous space settlement.

How can regolith on the Moon and Mars be refined into useful building materials? What are the methods for extracting water and oxygen from other worlds for life support systems and rocket fuel? Is it legal to do so? Will private property rights be granted through unilateral legislation? What will space settlers eat? The answers to all these questions and more are addressed in this issue, many of the articles free to access.

One of my favorite pieces, the source of this post’s featured image, is on the RedWater system for harvesting water on Mars. This technology, inspired by the proven Rodwell system in use for sourcing drinking water at the south pole, was developed by Honeybee Robotics, just acquired by Blue Origin earlier this year. End-to-end validation of the system under simulated Mars conditions demonstrated that water could be harvested from below an icy subsurface and pumped to a tank up on the surface.

We need to start thinking about these technologies now so that plans are ready for implementation once a reliable, affordable transportation system comes on line in the next few years led by companies such as SpaceX and others. Sowers has been working on thermal ice mining on cold worlds throughout the solar system for some time, predicting that water will be “the oil of space”. Cannon has been featured previously on SSP with his Pinwheel Magma Reactor for synthetic geology and plans for feeding millions of people on Mars.

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Space settlement through private enterprise

Artist rendition of Starship exploring Saturn. Image credit SpaceX/Flickr

In an interview by Stuart Clark in BBC Science Focus Magazine, Vice President for North American operations for the International Space University Gary Martin answers questions on how private enterprise is changing space exploration. Companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin, through their own initiatives and public/private partnerships are opening up the final frontier, paving the way for space settlement.