Imagine a place that combines the best in scientific research, tourism, entertainment, and manufacturing. Now picture that vibrant ecosystem in low Earth orbit.
Welcome to Orbital Reef: Your Address, In Orbit
Orbital Reef is a commercially developed, owned, and operated space station to be built in low Earth orbit. In the second half of this decade, Orbital Reef will start operating as a mixed-use business park, providing straightforward access for all.
Reef Starter is Orbital Reef’s newest offering, established to reduce barriers of entry for startups to become users of Orbital Reef. The goal of the Reef Starter Innovation Challenge is to identify startup organizations that could benefit from operations in LEO, particularly those that hold promise for improving the lives and world for those on Terra Firma below.
From materials science to agriculture, entertainment to pharma, and medical devices to tourism, Reef Starter is interested in a diverse range of startup organizations from around the globe.
Could your business or product make exponential leaps ahead with time in microgravity? If so, consider submitting your application for the Reef Starter Innovation Challenge today!
Why Microgravity?
Why would anyone want to do anything in LEO?
Because unique environments mean unique opportunities.
Just as certain plants are only found in one place on the planet and nowhere else, access to a microgravity environment provides unique opportunities not available on Planet Earth.
Operations in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) means changes in gravity, pressure, and radiation. Consequently, there are changes in convection, buoyancy, sedimentation, and surface tension. These, in turn, result in new possibilities for various manufacturing processes such as:
In additive manufacturing: 3D printers aren’t limited to printing in a single orientation or direction
In agriculture: space-grown plants may help future long-term space missions as well as provide insight into new agricultural technologies to increase yields back on earth
In electronics: newer, smaller semiconductors may be possible, leading to increases in performance or reductions in energy consumption
In pharmaceuticals: cells behave differently away from normal earth gravity, which could impact how new medicines are developed
Gravity is constantly imposed in all that we do. With that restriction removed, an infinite amount of yet to be discovered breakthroughs are unlocked.
Due to the unique environment of microgravity, processes such as crystal growth, heat transfer, fluid mixing, solidification, and combustion experience unique effects that can provide useful insights for cutting edge solutions to benefit humanity and Earth.
In short, access to LEO means new opportunities for innovations and advancements in a wide range of technologies and industries.
By offering this exciting opportunity, Reef Starter is providing incentives to innovators to consider how their industry and application might benefit from access to LEO. Reef Starter is interested in all industries that envision new and different opportunities and innovations that could be possible with access to microgravity.