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Space Development | Research & Technology

Home Science / Technology

orbital satellite In this century we will take our first major steps toward the expansion of our civilization off of our Earth. Doing so will challenge our technical capacity like never before.

A key interest area of the Institute for Space Development is in the development of technologies for basic space infrastructure, space commerce, and operations. We are very interested in the way that new and existing technologies can be used to put in place a basic space infrastructure that can be leveraged by research communities and private industry. Developing a significant capacity for applied engineering and technology prototyping, testing, and development is a key long-term goal of our organization.

Enabling Technologies

Technology concepts and engineering applications that enable space-based operations and serve to support the efforts of the emerging space economy that we are interested in include:

Space-Based Resource Acquisition & Utilization

Significant space activity will require the early development of systems that can process basic resources into useful products for construction and assembly, fuels, energy, and life support systems.

Large-scale space development can't happen until we can make use of the resources we find. While we can send prefabricated habitats and supplies, we'll need to learn to utilize the local resources to sustain and grow our space projects. Staged and robotic/tele-operated platforms will likely play an important role.

Energy, like on Earth, is central to the whole space effort. Space presents numerous opportunities for energy and some of these systems may find applicability on Earth. More likely, energy solutions for Earth will find unexpected application in space.

Habitation & Life Systems

Concepts and systems for human habitation and long-duration occupation, permanently occupied stations, and surface habitats.

Life Systems: Food and botanical systems, recycling, air, and water
Human Body: Exercise, fitness, psychological and human health systems

Applied Plasma Engineering

Gas / atmospheric processing, surface treatments and materials modification, and plasma propulsion systems are key technology interest areas.

Synergies & Integrations

We examine concepts for space development in terms of their relationship to the future of Earth. As it turns out, many of the technological developments springing from our needs on Earth - from batteries to nanotechnology - have considerable applicability to longer-term space development opportunities. ISD is seeking out those places where future-Earth and future-space overlap.