Keystone Space Collaborative Supports Orbital Reef Space Station
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed between the Keystone Space Collaborative and Sierra Space that supports the development of Orbital Reef commercial space station, which is being built by co-lead investors Sierra Space and Blue Origin.
“This partnership is one exciting step the Keystone Space Collaborative plans to take to create connections, job opportunities and ways to capitalize on our region’s assets to become a leader in developing the commercial space industry.”
Priscilla Beal, Keystone Space Collaborative founding member and Board Vice Chair.
The MOU also supports joint business opportunities between the Keystone Space Collaborative and Sierra Space, aligning with the Collaborative’s mission to advance the space economy in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
The partnership ultimately aims to inspire a broader interest in the commercial LEO economy and in microgravity research. The goal is to capitalize on Sierra Space’s access to platforms in space and the Keystone Space Collaborative’s growing network of customers who realize the benefit of these platforms to develop a pipeline of research and technology in commercial LEO for all types of organizations in the region. Furthermore, Sierra Space and the Keystone Space Collaborative believe their combined efforts offer great opportunities in initial research and technical payloads for use in commercial space stations such as Orbital Reef.
Keystone Space Collaborative Will Create Jobs and Opportunities
“There are so many companies, people and entities across our region with the skills and technology to make incredible strides in space exploration,” said “This partnership is one exciting step the Keystone Space Collaborative plans to take to create connections, job opportunities and ways to capitalize on our region’s assets to become a leader in developing the commercial space industry.”
The intention is to operate Orbital Reef as an ongoing commercial enterprise for use by:
Advertising and consumer goods companies
Manufacturing and pharmaceutical companies
Private space tourists
Scientific and educational institutions
Sovereign users
Space agencies
The entertainment industry
"As the commercial space economy continues to rapidly expand, our efforts are aligned to further develop the capabilities of Sierra Space’s innovative technologies tied to Orbital Reef and our LIFE habitat systems for our industry partners," said Neeraj Gupta, Sierra Space Senior VP & General Manager, Space Destinations. "Sierra Space aims to be the leading service provider for the region and work with the Keystone Space Collaborative to develop a pipeline of research, manufacturing, and technology payloads on our commercial LEO platforms.”
(Images provided with Sierra Space news release and from file)