Next Generation Space Stations

BLISS - Beyond LEO (Low Earth Orbit), Into the Solar System.

That's the credo for the team project I have been working on this Summer.
There are 4 teams at the SSP and each has a unique team project and has to submit a 126 page report, a 'flashy' executive summary and a 1 hour presentation. My team was tasked with creating a guidebook for future space stations.

The future of the International Space Station (ISS) is uncertain. Current hopes are for the stations life to be extended until 2028, beyond which much of the stations hardware would begin failing. But what next?
The ISS is one of the greatest accomplishments of mankind, if not the greatest. Not only are the technical difficulties in constructing a station in space mind-boggling; not only is the scientific research being performed on the station groundbreaking; but the ISS has brought together countries on a scale never seen before. The international co-operation that has gone into the ISS is remarkable and the station is a testament to what we can achieve when we work together.

The International Space Station with Space Shuttle Endeavour docked.

Our project consisted of three main aspects. First, we would identify the lessons learned from the ISS. Next, we would determine the 'design drivers' for a Next Generation Space Station (NGSS); these are the things that would determine the nature of the station. Finally, we would suggest technologies that could be viable on a NGSS. We also considered how we could transition from the ISS to an NGSS. Various locations for a station were also considered as well; we didnt only focus on the current Low Earth Orbit of the ISS but also considered places such as a lunar orbit. This was all done with a timescale of 2025 in mind.

We did this by splitting the team into 6 main groups:

• International co-operation and Policy
• Education and Public Outreach
• Finance
• Station Science
• Commercial Applications
• Engineering

These areas are all aspects that must be considered when working with space stations.


I worked with the engineering group, which in turn was organised into the plethora of sub-systems that must be considered onboard a spacecraft. I principally was part of the 'Power' group, but also helped out with 'Structures and Mechanisms'.
I was also part of the editing team and the chief writer of a chapter that we decided needed to be added at the last-minute.

I am very proud of our final product. The report is useful and will serve as a good reference for companies and space agencies considering building space stations. Within the report we have a couple of tables (or matrices) that offer vital information at a glance. Our 'Summary Matrix' considers every potential use of a space station and offers suggestions of the best place to locate such a station and what conditions will affect it (for example whether artificial gravity or micro gravity is preferred or what kind of financing options will be most effective). There is also an engineering matrix that shows the design drivers of a station depending upon what location it is in (for example, a station beyond Low Earth Orbit would need to account for the increased level of radiation).

I will soon have access to PDF's of both the final report and the executive summary which I will share on here and I would be very happy if you could take the team to have a look at them.

The final presentations of the team projects are always a fun part of the SSP. Instead of a standard power-point presentation, they usually take the form of performances. Our presentation this year was themed as a guided-tour through a next generation space station.

Although we have now handed in the completed report, it is far from over. We intend on adding further iterations to the report and continuing the work we have started. We should hopefully be presenting the report, in a shortened format, at this years International Astronautical Congress in Naples (I hope I can be there to take part).