NASA gave Jeff Bezos money to build his office park in space

[babylonsister]

https://www.vox.com/recode/2021/10/27/22747509/blue-origin-orbital-reef-office-park-bezos

NASA gave Jeff Bezos money to build his office park in space
Blue Origin thinks all kinds of companies will want some space in space.
By Rebecca Heilweil Updated Dec 3, 2021, 10:49am EST


Blue Origin wants to build a commercial space station that NASA astronauts could eventually visit. Courtesy of NASA

After more than two decades in orbit, NASA is preparing to retire the International Space Station. The habitable satellite only has permission to operate until 2024, and while it’s likely that the space station’s funding could be extended until 2028, NASA plans to decommission the ISS and find a replacement by the end of the decade. Cue Jeff Bezos.

The billionaire’s spaceflight company, Blue Origin, has proposed a new commercial space station called Orbital Reef, which would provide a “mixed use business park” in space. This concept now has the support of NASA. The agency announced on Thursday that it would award Blue Origin and its partner companies $130 million to develop the space station, which NASA hopes will launch before 2030.

snip//

NASA doesn’t mind the corporate takeover of low-Earth orbit. The agency’s first space station, SkyLab, was only in orbit for a few months before NASA let the vehicle descend and decompose into the atmosphere. The space agency has been weighing defunding the ISS, which is full of aging hardware, for several years, and NASA’s investment in Orbital Reef is part of more than $400 million in funding that the agency has set aside to develop new, privately built and operated space stations through its Commercial LEO Destinations program.

Eventually, NASA hopes that it can send its astronauts to these stations instead of paying to maintain the ISS. Overall, the plan could save the government more than $1 billion every year.

[LunaSea]

1. More orbital facilities coming

ISS is already operating beyond it's original design lifespan, so it's no surprise that the next generation of stations are being developed.
Bezos is not the only one. Blue Origin is developing it with Sierra Nevadas space division building the Dreamchaser mini shuttle.

https://thehill.com/changing-america/enrichment/578374-jeff-bezos-is-launching-a-new-business-park-in-space.

https://www.sncorp.com/what-we-do/dream-chaser-space-vehicle/

[PSPS]

2. LOL. "could save the government more than $1 billion every year"

So Bezos will then become the owner/landlord and charge everyone rent and charge guests of the Blue Space Hotel, thus funneling that money into his bloated untaxed wallet.

[OnDoutside]

3. Outrageous.