COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado — Next-generation space habitats for low Earth orbit, the moon and beyond are on display here at the Space Foundation’s 41st annual Space Symposium.
Max Space has unveiled a large sub-scale version of their expandable habitat, giving viewers a real look at how best to offer far greater habitable volume for future space endeavors. “This is more than a model,” said Saleem Miyan, co-founder and CEO of Max Space, based in Florida. “It is a physical demonstration of a new approach to space infrastructure, far greater habitable volume, lower launch mass and logistics burden, scalable architecture for commercial low Earth orbit stations, lunar surface systems, and future deep space missions.”
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Practical readiness of materials
Many refer to what’s called Technical Readiness Levels (TRL’s) of their products being readied for use in space.
Max Space relies heavily on its over three decades of material science expertise, referring to and also refers to that knowhow as PRM’s – the Practical Readiness of Materials, said Miyan. “And they are truly ready for long duration space flights and lunar habitation,” he said.
The next era of space habitation will not be built with small thinking, Miyan said.
Strategic partnership
In February a new strategic partnership was announced between Voyager Technologies and Max Space.
“This technology reflects a fundamental shift in how humanity will live and work in space,” said Dylan Taylor, chairman and CEO of Voyager — a defense and space technology company. Sustained operations on the moon “require infrastructure designed for endurance, scalability and industrial execution,” he said in a press statement.
“The moon is no longer a single destination or a flags-and-footprints exercise,” Taylor added. It is the next operational domain in a growing space economy, he said.
An illustration of Max Space expandable habitats on the surface of the moon. (Image credit: Max Space)Phased development path
Max Space has been an early pioneer in expandable structure development.
The company’s lightweight expandable habitat launches compactly and expands 20 times larger once deployed in orbit or other destination, allowing a large, fully equipped habitat to launch on a single SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
The strategic partnership blueprints a phased development path, including ground validation and in-space demonstrations later this decade. That development path’s goal is to enable operational moon and Mars capabilities aligned with NASA’s exploration timelines.
For more on Max Space, visit the company’s website.