Astronaut Training Curricula for Private Space Station in the Works
A collaboration for market research and the early development of an astronaut training curricula for a private space station has been announced by Northrop Grumman and Star Harbor.
In December 2021 Northrop Grumman signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA under the Commercial Low-Earth Orbit Development program for $125.6 million to design a safe, reliable and cost-effective commercial free-flying space station in low Earth orbit (LEO).
This collaboration establishes Star Harbor’s intentions to utilize Northrop Grumman’s commercial space station concept as one of the LEO destinations for on-orbit services and training for their customers. The collaboration will explore the development of Northrop Grumman’s customized astronaut training programs to help define a high standard of safety and customer service for commercial industry spaceflight training and mission implementation. These efforts will help support a thriving future for the new space economy by accelerating humans and technology within the commercial aerospace ecosystem.
The collaboration also explores the development and integration of an optimal pipeline and verification process for Star Harbor’s LAB TO ORBIT R&D program. Star Harbor is establishing a robust research pipeline process to support researchers from concept design, prototyping, and testing through flight readiness and mission success. In Star Harbor’s Researcher Training Courses, participants will learn to properly design payloads for the varying flight profiles, space environments, and destinations while receiving expert support to get payloads certified and procured on a flight. Star Harbor’S pipeline will provide an expedited access point to get research and researchers onboard the Northrop Grumman Space Station design.
Star Harbor is creating affordable public access to the critical infrastructure and testing environments necessary for human spaceflight training and the rapid development of impactful technologies. Key Academy features will include:
Aircraft for parabolic flight
High-gravity human centrifuge
4-million+ gallon neutral buoyancy tank
Hypobaric and hyperbaric chambers
Supporting facilities and equipment
(Image provided with Northrop Grumman news release. Additional information from the Star Harbor website)