Work from Space? Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin unveils plans to build 'business park' in space

Washington, Oct 27: Billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who owns Blue Origin announced on Monday that it is aiming to develop a commercial space station called Orbital Reef along with Sierra Space Corporation, a division of Sierra Nevada Corp, airplane manufacturer Boeing, as part of Bezos' next plans for outer space.

The company said that it is aiming to launch this space station, a sort of 'business park' in the cosmos, in the second half of this decade, i.e. after 2025.

The station will open the next chapter of human space exploration and development by facilitating the growth of a vibrant ecosystem and business model for the future.

What is Orbital Reef?

Designed to open multiple new markets in space, Orbital Reef will provide anyone with the opportunity to establish their own address on orbit. This unique destination will offer research, industrial, international, and commercial customers the cost competitive end-to-end services they need including space transportation and logistics, space habitation, equipment accommodation, and operations including onboard crew. The station will start operating in the second half of this decade.

Mixed use business park

Orbital Reef will be operated as a "mixed use business park" in space. Shared infrastructure efficiently supports the proprietary needs of diverse tenants and visitors.

It features a human-centered space architecture with world-class services and amenities that is inspiring, practical, and safe. As the premier commercial destination in low Earth orbit, Orbital Reef will provide the essential infrastructure needed to scale economic activity and open new markets in space.

Reusable space transportation and smart design, accompanied by advanced automation and logistics, will minimize cost and complexity for both traditional space operators and new arrivals, allowing the widest range of users to pursue their goals. The open system architecture allows any customer or nation to link up and scale to support demand. Module berths, vehicle ports, utilities, and amenities all increase as the market grows.

The Orbital Reef business model makes it easy for customers and is strategically designed to support a diverse portfolio of uses. The team has all the services and systems to meet the needs of emergent customers, including researchers, manufacturers, and visitors.

Orbital Reef offers

Orbital Reef offers standard interfaces at all levels - locker, rack, and module. Seasoned space agencies, high-tech consortia, sovereign nations without space programs, media and travel companies, funded entrepreneurs and sponsored inventors, and future-minded investors all have a place on Orbital Reef.