Sierra Space Successfully Bursts Second Full Scale Inflatable Module

Sierra Space has successfully completed a second full-scale burst test of its inflatable module, a significant development for the Orbital Reef commercial space station and the company's standalone efforts.

The 300-cubic-meter module underwent an "ultimate burst pressure" test, where it was pressurized until it burst. This rigorous test is designed to ensure the module meets stringent safety margins. The module burst at a pressure of 74 pounds per square inch (psi), surpassing NASA's safety requirement of 60.8 psi. This result is comparable to the first burst test of the module in December, which reached 77 psi.

The test, conducted at the Marshall Space Flight Center in June, demonstrated the module's strength and compliance with safety standards, marking a major milestone in Sierra Space's innovative space technology.

"We’ve taken a softgoods system that very few companies around the world have been able to design, and now we have consistent, back-to-back results,...A second successful full-scale test is an absolute game changer. We now know it’s possible to equal or surpass the total habitable volume of the entire International Space Station, in a single launch." - Shawn Buckley, Sierra Space Vice President

Developed in collaboration with ILC Dover, the module is a crucial part of Sierra Space's contributions to Orbital Reef, a commercial space station proposed in partnership with Blue Origin. The successful test completes a milestone in a NASA award to Blue Origin under the Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destinations program, which aims to foster the development of commercial stations to succeed the International Space Station (ISS).

Sierra Space has also revealed plans to fly the module as a standalone spacecraft, serving as a pathfinder for future space stations. Supported by an unfunded NASA Space Act Agreement, the company aims to launch this pathfinder mission "before the end of the decade."

The 300-cubic-meter module, offering one-third the volume of the ISS, is only the beginning. Sierra Space announced plans to start testing a larger module with a volume of 500 cubic meters next year.

"Our revolutionary, expandable space station technology reinvents the space station...Our technology, for the first time, will enable the right unit economics that will usher in the full commercialization of space." - Tom Vice, Chief Executive of Sierra Space

With these successful tests, Sierra Space is poised to play a pivotal role in the next generation of space exploration and commercialization, marking a new era of innovation and opportunity in low Earth orbit.