Orbital Reef Clears Crucial Test: How a 77 PSI Burst Pressurization Sets the Stage for Next-Gen Commercial Space Stations

An element of a NASA-funded commercial space station, Orbital Reef, under development by Blue Origin and Sierra Space, recently completed a full-scale ultimate burst pressure test. This test is part of the agency’s efforts for new destinations in low Earth orbit. The successful Ultimate Burst Pressure test, which occurred on June 18 in collaboration with ILC Dover and NASA, accelerates Sierra Space’s revolutionary softgoods technology towards on-orbit operations.

Teams conducted the burst test on Sierra Space’s LIFE habitat structure using testing capabilities at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Sierra Space CEO Tom Vice stated, “We are 100% committed to maintaining US leadership in Low Earth Orbit. Sierra Space is leading the way with the first commercial space station to replace the International Space Station when it is decommissioned and ensure there is no gap in LEO.”

The pressurization to failure during the test demonstrated the habitat’s capabilities and provided the companies with critical data supporting NASA’s softgoods certification guidelines. Prior to this recent test, Sierra Space conducted its first full-scale Ultimate burst pressure (UBP) test on the LIFE habitat at Marshall in December 2023.

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NASA supports the design and development of multiple commercial space stations, including Orbital Reef, through funded and unfunded agreements. The current design and development phase will be followed by the procurement of services from one or more companies.

The goal of NASA is to achieve a strong economy in low Earth orbit where the agency can purchase services as one of many customers to meet its science and research objectives in microgravity. The commercial strategy of NASA for low Earth orbit will provide the government with reliable and safe services at a lower cost. It will enable the agency to focus on Artemis missions to the Moon in preparation for Mars while also continuing to use Low Earth orbit as a training and proving ground for those deep space missions. In short, NASA supports the Ultimate Burst Test for Orbital Reef Commercial Space Station.