NASA Awards Blue Origin $172M to Develop Orbital Reef Space Station

NASA has awarded Blue Origin $172 million to develop a space station called Orbital Reef, aimed at supporting human life for astronauts and tourists. Blue Origin has made progress in passing milestones to advance Orbital Reef technology, such as a system to recycle urine. The International Space Station won't be around forever, and NASA is investing in potential replacements, including Orbital Reef, a joint venture between Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin and Sierra Space. This replacement space station will provide support for human life with critical technologies for recycling urine and providing clean air and water. The endeavor aims to reduce costs and save money for NASA, as well as pave the way for commercial space stations in low Earth orbit. The ISS is in decline and experiencing technical issues, prompting NASA to transition to privately owned space stations. With the future of space exploration in sight, NASA is also focused on establishing a permanent human presence on the moon and eventually sending astronauts to Mars. The transition to privatized space stations will address the aging issues of the ISS, and Orbital Reef presents an exciting future opportunity for space tourists.