Collins Aerospace, a subsidiary of military and aerospace contractor Raytheon Technologies, is reportedly developing life support tech for a “privately owned and operated low Earth orbit outpost,” reports SpaceNews.
A lot of money has been invested in creating a commercial presence in space at the moment. The small firm won a $2.6 million contract from a mysterious customer – a testament to the heating space race. The Collins work involves machines that can control both temperature and pressure levels in space, allowing passengers to enjoy prolonged durations in space, notes SpaceNews.
An old timer in space tech
The subsidiary is experienced in the field and has also developed the International Space Station’s current water recovery system. Shawn Macleod, Collins Aerospace’s director of business development, told SpaceNews that “as more private industry destinations become available, the demand for life support systems will increase.”
There are speculations that the mystery contractor is Axiom Space, as per the news outlet’s analysis. The Houston-based, privately funded space company announced its plans to create its own orbital outpost. It will be called AxStation, which would first be an extension to the ISS and detach later. NASA will be bidding adieu to the ISS in 2030
Is Axiom Space the mystery contractor?
Previously, NASA roped in Axiom Space for a mission to send four people to the International Space Station (ISS) by January 2022. None of the crew members is a working astronaut and Axiom has chosen its vice president, former NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegría, to lead the crew.
The mission called Axiom Mission 1 (AX-1) will send the crew aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spaceship. The members have paid $55 million for this once-in-a-lifetime trip. NASA will make the members undergo medical tests before allowing them to travel. Besides, the space agency will also be paying Axiom $1.69 million to bring scientific samples from the ISS back to Earth in cold storage.
Besides, Axiom Space also announced a huge deal with Elon Musk’s SpaceX that will send private crews to the ISS by 2023. The deal extends the deal to a total of 4 flights.
