A startup will build the world’s first artificial-gravity space stations
Artificial gravity is the new black.
Vast, a California-based startup, has revealed that the company will develop artificial-gravity space stations to enhance human productivity in space. With a team of exceptional engineers, industry experts,k and an aerospace engineer and former vice president at SpaceX, Hans Koenigsmann, the company aims to create a setting where people can live as well as work in space.
“Vast’s mission is to enable a future where millions of people are living across the solar system,” said Jed McCaleb, who worked on projects such as Stellar, the Astera Institute, Ripple, and eDonkey2000.
“The solar system has an incredible amount of resources. If we had access to those resources, our civilization could grow and thrive while preserving our planet. Once large populations of humans can live in space, we can create the industry and infrastructure needed to access those resources at scale.”
“I have always believed in leveraging technology to reduce inefficiency and improve the human condition. To expand human habitation in space, we have to create technologies that perfect sustainability,” McCaleb added.
The company’s space station will be able to accommodate over 40 people and measure 100 meters (328 miles) in length.
Living in zero gravity is cool, but…
Doing a few somersaults in a row or moving as if you’re swimming in space might sound cool to the ears for a short term. However, exposure to zero gravity for a long time can possibly damage astronauts’ health. Some of the side effects include muscle atrophy, bone loss, and even brain damage. McCaleb’s innovative idea targets providing a healthier environment for long-term missions through artificial gravity. A gravity-like pull is created through centrifugal force occurring thanks to a large spinning structure.
“We still crave new frontiers, with many of us spending our lives anticipating the time when space will be unlocked for us,” said McCaleb. “By pushing our frontiers and expanding our habitat into the vastness of space, we may actually preserve Earth for thousands of years and generations to come.”
Vast’s goal is ambitious. The company implies that the new ecosystem will enable further expansion into the solar system.
McCaleb once told his friends that he would mine asteroids if he ever had lots of money, Space News reported. And after leading three successful cryptocurrency companies, he delved into solving problems preventing humanity from exploring further the solar system.
This is not the first time a company attempted to build an artificial gravity structure in space. As space tourism becomes the new black, different industry leaders wouldn’t miss a chance to give people what they wanted.
Back in 2021, we reported on The Orbital Assembly Corporation’s plans to build an orbital space hotel with artificial gravity.
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