So far, the company has shown the design of only one module of the space station, but it is very interesting.
In 2030, the International Space Station will end its operation. That is why NASA is actively working with private contractors to create its successors to the ISS. Currently, the main players in this market are the American companies Blue Origin, Axiom Space, and Nanoracks. At the same time, China wants to turn its Tiangong station into an object of international cooperation, and India plans to build its own station in orbit by the end of the decade and turn it into an international project as well. But now the European company Airbus has joined this space race, showing a module of its future orbital station, ScienceAlert writes.
The new module from Airbus is called LOOP, it is designed for the simultaneous stay of four astronauts, consists of three levels, and most importantly, it will support artificial gravity.
The company said that their space module can become a full-fledged orbital station if several more segments are attached to it. At the same time, this module can be attached to the ISS, which is still in operation, or to the Lunar Gateway lunar orbital station, which will be created in a few years.
Фото: Airbus
According to Airbus, the LOOP module is designed for long-term astronauts in space and is compatible with all existing manned and cargo spacecraft. The company also said that the module will also be compatible with vehicles currently under development.
As for the design of the new space module, which is 8 meters in diameter and 8 meters long, as mentioned above, it consists of three levels.
Photo: Airbus
- The highest level is intended for crew accommodation. At the same time, 4 astronauts can stay here for a long time, and temporarily – 8 people. There are large panoramic windows and exercise equipment here.
- The second level is a scientific laboratory where various studies will be conducted. From this level, astronauts will be able to go into outer space using a special gateway.
- The third level is a centrifuge, which will create artificial gravity, where there are also living and cargo compartments. So far, Airbus has not said what the gravity in the module will be, but some experts have made calculations based on the technical data of the centrifuge. It turned out that it can support a gravity of about 38% of the Earth’s. This is the gravity of Mars. However, the centrifuge may not rotate as fast, so the gravity will be 16.5% of the Earth’s. This is the gravity of the Moon.
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Astronauts will be able to move between levels using a central tunnel, which will be surrounded by a greenhouse for growing plants. These plants will be used during experiments, and astronauts will also be able to eat them.
Airbus said that the module has reliable protection against solar and space radiation, but it is not yet known when it will be built and what technical characteristics it will have.
