In Space Infrastructure, Living in Space, Space Settlement

Space habitation report – Oct.2.2025

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Here is a new selection of videos, articles, and news items about space habitats (govt and commercial), living in space, and space settlement.

=== International Space Station & NASA

** Cygnus XL Cargo Craft Installed on Station’s Unity Module | NASA – Sept.18.2025

Northrop Grumman’s new Cygnus XL spacecraft has been installed to the International Space Station. The mission is known as NASA’s Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply Services 23, or Northrop Grumman CRS-23.

Filled with more than 11,000 pounds of research and supplies, the Northrop Grumman Cygnus XL spacecraft, carried on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, launched at 6:11 p.m. EDT on Sept. 14, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This mission will be the first flight of the Cygnus XL, the larger, more cargo-capable version of the company’s solar-powered spacecraft.

Cygnus will remain at the space station until spring when it departs the orbiting laboratory at which point it will dispose of several thousand pounds of debris through its re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere where it will harmlessly burn up.

Artwork showing the array of vehicles docked to the ISS as of Sept.17.2025. Credits: NASA

**  NASA Astronauts Discuss Life In Space Fast Company Innovation Festival Attendees– Tuesday, 9/16/2025 | NASA Video

Aboard the International Space Station, NASA astronauts Jonny Kim and Zena Cardman discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight interview Sept. 16 with attendees of the Fast Company Innovation Festival in New York. Kim and Cardman are in the midst of a long-duration mission aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration flights as part of NASA’s Moon and Mars exploration approach, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program. 

** NASA Astronauts Discuss Life In Space With Fox News “America’s Headquarters And Bill Hemmer”- 9/3/25 | NASA Video

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 73 flight engineers Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke and Jonny Kim of NASA discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight interview Sept. 3 with Fox News’ “America’s Headquarters and Bill Hemmer to discuss the White House’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda. The trio are in the midst of a long-duration mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration flights as part of NASA’s Moon and Mars exploration approach, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program.

** Astronaut Discusses Life In Space With Simon Sinek Podcast – Thursday, July 17, 2025 | NASA Video

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 73 flight engineer Jonny Kim of NASA discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight interview July 17 with the Simon Sinek podcast. Kim is in the midst of a long-duration mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration flights as part of NASA’s Moon and Mars exploration approach, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program.

** New Cygnus XL cargo ship captured by space station’s robotic arm after thruster issue | VideoFromSpace

Northrop Grumman’s ‘Cygnus XL’ cargo spacecraft was captured by the International Space Station’s robotic on Sept. 18. 2025. The cargo ship suffered a thruster issue the day prior that delayed the docking.

** ISS National Lab Research Overview: Northrop Grumman CRS-23  | ISS National Lab

The International Space Station National Lab is sponsoring more than 15 payloads launching on NASA’s Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply Services 23 mission via a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. In this video, learn more about some of those investigations seeking to bring value to humanity through space-based research and drive business models in low Earth orbit.

** Lynn Harper Interview | The Space Show – Sept.21.2025

We started our program by introducing our guest of honor, Lynn Harper, Strategic Integration Advisor to ISS National Lab and InSPA. Space show program participants were also introduced including Marshall Martin, John Hunt, John Jossy, Dr. Ajay Kothari and Dr. Phil Swan. Lynn shared her slides on ISS results from 2022-2024, which were later accessible to all participants through chat. In addition, the link to her slides and to other relevant material to this discussion can be found at the end of this summary. All of us discussed the potential for career growth in space-based microgravity medicine, with Lynn highlighting exceptional results from 2024. Check out the chat window in the video for additional links to relevant items of interest. Once again I announced an upcoming live presentation of AJ’s art show in Fairfax, Virginia, scheduled for Tuesday at 12:30 PM Pacific time.

Ms. Harper discussed the advancements in microgravity and space-assisted medical research, highlighting significant breakthroughs in disease modeling and drug development. She explained how microgravity has accelerated research in areas such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, and other diseases, with examples like Merck reformulating its cancer drug Keytruda to enable injectable administration due to uniform crystal growth in space. The potential economic impact of these advancements is substantial, with projections of $40 billion in annual revenue by 2030. Lynn also emphasized the need for more space research capacity, as demand far exceeds current availability, particularly for personalized drug testing, and she discussed the role of commercial space providers in meeting this demand. As you will hear later in the discussion, it also sparked talk about extending the life of the ISS to do this important research and work.

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More micro-gravity science:

=== Commercial space habitats

** Axiom Space

— What Comes Next? | Axiom Space Youtube

Premiering at IAC 2025 in Sydney, Australia, “What Comes Next” showcases Axiom Space’s vision to transcend Earth by building era-defining space infrastructure that drives exploration and fuels a vibrant space economy for the benefit of every human everywhere. Tune in to watch our short film to learn more about how we are building what comes next for low-Earth orbit. #AxiomStation

— Recent developments:

Axiom Space, a leader in commercial space infrastructure, and Resonac Corporation (“Resonac”), a leading provider of cutting-edge materials solutions in the semiconductor industry, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on the research, development and manufacturing of high-performance semiconductor materials in the environment of space. This collaboration paves the way toward leveraging microgravity to advance next-generation chip technologies and accelerate the in-space manufacturing market.

“The unique environment of space offers immense potential for advancing semiconductor materials, especially in crystal growth,” said Masato Fukushima, Resonac Chief Technology Officer. “Partnering with Axiom Space, we aim to accelerate experiments and drive innovation in materials, fostering industrial growth and societal progress.”

Redwire Corporation (NYSE: RDW), a global leader in space and defense technology solutions, today announced it has been awarded a contract from Axiom Space, a leader in commercial space infrastructure, to develop and deliver roll-out solar array (ROSA) wings for Axiom Station’s Payload Power Thermal Module (AxPPTM)—the first module for the company’s commercial space station.

“As a market leader for space power solutions, Redwire is proud to be selected as a strategic supplier to deliver ROSAs for Axiom Space’s first space station module,” said Mike Gold, Redwire President of Civil and International Space. “As NASA and industry take the next steps to build out commercial space stations to maintain U.S. leadership in low-Earth orbit (LEO), Redwire continues to be the partner of choice enabling critical capabilities to ensure on-orbit success.”

Axiom Space plans to attach its AxPPTM to the International Space Station as the first module in its assembly sequence followed by Habitat 1 (AxH1), an airlock, Habitat 2 (AxH2), and finally the Research and Manufacturing Facility (AxRMF). After the launch and berthing of AxPPTM to the International Space Station, the module will separate and rendezvous with AxH1 on orbit resulting in Axiom Station’s independent operational capability. This approach enables the two-module station to become a free-flyer as early as 2028 and an independent four-module station by 2030, ensuring a continuous U.S. human presence in LEO after the International Space Station retires. The Axiom Station development plan aligns with U.S. objectives and preserves critical capabilities currently utilized on the International Space Station. AxPPTM is anticipated to launch toward the end of 2027.

Today, at the 2025 International Astronautical Congress, Axiom Space, a global leader in commercial human spaceflight and space infrastructure, announced Emiliano Ventura as its first-ever “Project Astronaut.”

Emiliano, a Portuguese physiologist, has developed a unique relationship with Axiom Space, having supported several crewmembers as their physiologist both before and immediately after their missions aboard the International Space Station. He now seeks to apply his expertise in optimizing human performance, honed through years of working with elite athletes, to a new “pilot program” aimed at testing a rigorous six-month astronaut training protocol. His goal is to participate in a future mission and explore, with scientific depth and curiosity, how the human body adapts to microgravity, contributing fresh insights to the current body of research in space physiology.

The training plan, tailored to Emiliano’s performance research, includes reduced gravity (parabolic flight), centrifuge, altitude chamber, expeditionary skills, outdoor leadership, high-performance jet aircraft, underwater helicopter escape, cargo/payloads, biomedical, and spacesuit operations training.

Axiom Space and Spacebilt Inc. announced today a multi-organization collaboration to bring optically-interconnected orbital datacenter (ODC) infrastructure to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2027.

The Axiom Orbital Data Center Node on the International Space Station, (AxODC Node ISS), developed under a collaboration agreement with Spacebilt, and supported with an Optical Communication Terminal (OCT) by Skyloom, and hardware by Phison Electronics and Microchip Technology, will establish an optically interconnected, high-performance ODC node aboard the station enabling satellites, other spacecraft in low-Earth orbit (LEO), and astronauts and researchers to store and process data, and run Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) workloads and other cloud computing applications. This evolution builds upon the achievement of launching the Axiom Data Center Unit One (AxDCU-1) to the space station in August, a progressive step in Axiom Space’s initiative to continue the proliferation of ODC nodes, and in alignment with the announcement in April by Axiom Space to launch AxODC Nodes 1 and 2 NET late 2025.

— Thruster tests:

— Ax-4 Mission | Future Female Astronaut Q&A with Peggy Whitson | Axiom Space Youtube

Ax-4 Commander Peggy Whitson led an insightful on-orbit event that brought together an inspiring group of women shaping the future of space exploration. Representing Mexico, Spain, Germany, and the United Kingdom, these women are aspiring or current astronauts representing the growing global presence of women in human spaceflight. Their conversation explored themes of leadership, empowerment, and purpose, highlighting how diverse backgrounds and bold ambitions are redefining what it means to lead beyond Earth.

Partciapants:
Mexico- Katya Echazaretta, Electrical Engineer, Citizen
Astronaut
Spain- Sara Garcia Alonso, Spanish Astronaut Scientist
Germany- Amelie Schoenenwald, Reserve Astronaut, European Space Agency
UK- Meganne Christian, Reserve Astronaut and Commercial Exploration Lead, UK Space Agency; Reserve Astronaut, European Space Agency

** Gravitics

— Materials testing in space:

** Starlab – Voyager Technologies

—  Starlab partners with Belgium-based Space Applications Services:  Starlab Adds Space Applications Services as Strategic Partner, Equity Owner in Joint Venture | Starlab – Oct.1.2025

Starlab Space LLC at the 76th International Astronautical Congress today announced that Space Applications Services, a Belgium-based leader in space engineering and payload integration, has joined the company as a joint venture partner and investor. The partnership expands Starlab’s global footprint and extends the capabilities available to Starlab customers.

SpaceApps contributes deep experience in space systems, mission operations and payload integration with capabilities that include avionics, payload development, the end-to-end International Commercial Experiment Cubes (ICECubes) service, as well as mission integration and operations control software. The company also works closely with the European Space Agency and international partners, broadening Starlab’s access to global markets and research communities.

“Adding SpaceApps as both an investor and partner proves we’re rapidly moving from design to reality,” said Marshall Smith, CEO of Starlab. “With additional capital and expertise from international partners, we’re not just building the most advanced commercial space station and offering our customers exceptional capabilities, we’re accelerating scientific discovery and defining the next era of space exploration.”

The partnership will also include collaboration on SpaceApps’s Space Innovation Laboratories currently under development across Europe. These ground-based facilities will provide expanded microgravity research access for universities and industry partners, helping to build the research community and scientific payload pipeline for Starlab’s orbital laboratory.

— Rendezvous demo

—  Progress at Starlab: NASA Sees Key Progress on Starlab Commercial Space Station | NASA – July.16 .2025

As NASA continues its transition toward a commercial low Earth orbit marketplace, an agency-supported commercial space station, Starlab, recently completed five development and design milestones. Starlab’s planned design consists of a service module and a habitat that will be launched to orbit on a single flight.

The milestones, part of a NASA Space Act Agreement awarded in 2021, focused on reviews of Starlab’s preliminary design and safety, as well as spacecraft mockup and procurement plans. Each milestone provides NASA insight into the company’s development progress.

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Starlab recently completed a preliminary design and safety review of its station’s architecture and systems. The company now will begin detailed design and hardware development, culminating in a critical design review later this year. Critical design reviews are an important step in a station’s development, assessing design maturity before proceeding with fabrication and assembly.

** VAST

** September 2025 update:

** IWC the Official Timekeeper of Vast | VAST Youtube

IWC has entered into a strategic engineering collaboration with Vast, the pioneering space habitation technology company, as “Official Timekeeper.” Vast is currently engineering and building Haven-1, the world’s first commercial space station. This partnership is a natural evolution of IWC’s heritage in aviation and Vast’s vision for the future of space exploration.

With a shared passion for innovation driven by scientific progress, this partnership aims to enhance the durability and performance of mechanical watches on Earth and push the boundaries of watchmaking in the environment of space.

** Haven-1: America’s Next Space Station is Fully Welded | VAST Youtube

Haven-1, the world’s first commercial space station and America’s next space station, is now fully welded and will soon begin testing ahead of integration.

** Power module testing

=== Chinese space habitats

** Shenzhou-20 Crew’s Thriving Space Garden and New Plant Experiments | CNSA Watcher – Archives

The upgraded space vegetable garden has reached a moment of harvest. Experiments, drills, tests, the Shenzhou-20 crew has had a busy week! Inside the Tianwen experimental module, the lettuce grown with efficient cultivation technology on the Tianzhou-9 is thriving. The Shenzhou-20 crew has now started a new round of cultivation. Guess what kind of plants they are growing this time!

Source: https://m.weibo.cn/status/Q4vr8z6eg

** Shenzhou 13 astronauts film in zero gravity for ‘Blue Planet Outside the Window’ documentary  | CNSA Watcher – Archives

Shenzhou 13 astronauts film in zero gravity, testing shots for ‘Blue Planet Outside the Window’! Wang Yaping, Ye Guangfu discuss using space cameras to capture Earth’s beauty outside the window, revealing how the details of Chinese astronauts’ first long-term stay in space are turned into a movie. #SpaceMovie Blue Planet Outside the Window now showing#, taking you to gaze back at the Blue Planet from a unique space perspective, feeling …

Source: https://m.weibo.cn/status/Q3i0Ux68U

** See also China Space Station Crew: Ongoing Experiments | Leonard David – Sept.15.2025

=== Lunar & Mars habitation

** Hotel Mars with Dr. Haym Benaroya on both lunar and Martian habitats. | The Space Show/Mars Hotel

John, David and Dr. Haym Benaroya discussed the progress and ongoing challenges of human exploration and habitation on the Moon and Mars. Since 2002, significant advancements have been made in data collection and our understanding of Martian and lunar environments. These improvements were contrasted with earlier speculative or fictional portrayals of space colonization. Professor Benaroya, a mechanical and aerospace engineering expert from Rutgers University, emphasized that while technological progress has been substantial, fundamental obstacles—such as low gravity and abrasive regolith—continue to pose major challenges for sustained human presence. …

** John Batchelor Hotel Mars with Dallas Bienhoff talking about Cislunar Space Development | The Space Show – Sept.10.2025

John Batchelor Hotel Mars with Dallas Bienhoff talking about Cislunar Space Development. by Dr. David M. Livingston

Broadcast 4426, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025

Read on Substack

=== Habitat and settlement technologies and strategies

**  Integrated In-Space Economy Model ver 1.0  | Phil Metzger on X – Sept.22.2025

After a huge effort for 3 weeks, the integrated In-Space Economy Model ver 1.0 is now working. It shows mind-blowing growth driven mostly by AI until it hits arbitrary caps. The vertical axis is Millions of $. This seems too high but let me break it down over a few posts ….

** How Do We Build Communities in Space? | National Space Society on Youtube

Space colonization isn’t just about engineering habitats—it’s about building communities. In this episode, we explore how people, culture, and shared purpose will shape humanity’s future in space.

** Living Off the Land in Space: The Power of ISRU | National Space Society on Youtube

To thrive beyond Earth, we’ll need more than rockets—we’ll need to live off the land. This episode explores In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU), the key to building sustainable colonies in space. From Moon dust to Martian ice, ISRU turns local materials into survival and success.

 

** Age of Beyond | Aze Alter

If humans & AI unite… we may reach the Age of Beyond….

Written, Directed & Edited By Aze Alter

Co-Produced By Nyukyung

** The Future of Space Infrastructure | SpaceNews

Space Minds speaks with Al Tadros of Redwire, to explore the future of space infrastructure.

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From the growing role of private investment in orbit to breakthroughs in bioprinting and pharmaceuticals in microgravity, Tadros explains why this is one of the most exciting times in the history of space.

He also discusses the balance between civil, commercial, and national security missions, and how companies like Redwire are shaping the new economy beyond Earth. With decades of experience at the forefront of satellite and space systems, Tadros offers a unique perspective on where the industry is heading—and why the next era of exploration could be even more transformative than the Apollo years.

…

Time Markers
00:00 – Episode introduction
00:27 – Welcome
00:55 – What is space infrastructure?
03:19 – The cost to access space
06:05 – Consolidation effect
09:04 – Evolution of software
11:48 – Bioprinting
14:04 – Space to space economy
16:00 – Balancing civil, commercial and national security
20:01 – New space norms
24:34 – Al’s space journey

** NSS Space Forum – In Space For Earth: Breakthroughs in ISS In-Space Production Applications | National Space Society on Youtube

National Space Society Space Forum, September 18, 2025 – In Space for Earth: Breakthroughs in ISS In-Space Production Applications

[Featuring Lynn D. Harper, Strategic Integration Advisor to the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory, NASA]

The International Space Station (ISS) is more than a platform for exploration—it is the first National Laboratory beyond Earth, enabling pioneering research that delivers tangible benefits here at home. In recent years, the ISS National Lab and NASA’s InSpace Production Applications (InSPA) program have reported extraordinary results in microgravity manufacturing and biomedical research—many driven by small U.S. businesses and universities outside traditional aerospace states.

In this Space Forum, Lynn D. Harper—Strategic Integration Advisor to the ISS National Lab and NASA InSPA—will present highlights from a series of groundbreaking investigations. The InSPA portfolio helps U.S. innovators bridge technology’s “Valley of Death” (Technology Readiness Levels 5–9) by testing and validating concepts on the ISS. These efforts are paving the way for products that can ultimately be scaled on future commercial LEO destinations and free-flying platforms to serve markets on Earth.

By the end of 2024, the ISS National Lab and InSPA had demonstrated microgravity-driven advances across every level of matter—from quantum to human. Independent reviewers confirmed that space-based processes delivered disruptively superior products with higher yields and faster timelines than ever achieved on Earth. These breakthroughs show how in-space manufacturing could transform global high-tech industries and secure U.S. leadership in the industries of the future. Lynn shares how space innovation is redefining medicine, materials, and manufacturing—and why these results demand a new vision for low Earth orbit. ….

** SRICA4 #01: Island Zero: A practical gateway to large-scale space habitats – with Jerry Stone | Space Renaissance on Youtube

This is the preliminary webinar #01 of the IV SRI World Congress (SRIC4)
Abstract: In the 1970s, Gerard O’Neill developed plans for large space habitats. One that could house 10,000 people was a level of design known as “Island One”. This would be different from anything launched previously, as it would rotate to produce simulated gravity. Designs for space habitats have always assumed that they would operate under 1g. But do we need 1G? What about 0.9g, 0.8g or less? We’d need a much smaller structure first, to carry out the required medical research. This would also demonstrate the viability of some of the ideas behind space habitation, and later versions would house the personnel that will assemble the main structures. This initial unit is designated as “Island Zero”. Here is an opportunity to hear about this new development straight from the designer. “The most practical 1-g space station concept I have seen”

Bio: Jerry Stone is a Freelance Space Presenter; running Spaceflight UK and giving presentations on a range of topics on astronomy and space exploration all over the UK and abroad. Jerry is a fellow of the British Interplanetary Society and the Royal Astronomical Society, a member of the Board of the Space Renaissance International, and chair of the Space Habitats Committee. He has ran a project at the British Interplanetary Society, to re-examine and update the original space habitat studies. This became the SPACE Project – Study Project Advancing Colony Engineering, which also resulted in a new design for what we called “Island Zero”, as described above.

=== More resources

=== Earth views from ISS

** Tiangong TV: Capturing the Serene Beauty of Space | CNSA Watcher – Archives

The text result is: “Tiangong TV – Exiting the cabin, embracing the vast space! Looking out from the cabin door, the continuous sea of clouds is like a flowing scroll. The robotic arm outside the cabin rotates steadily, capturing the magnificent scene of the intertwining land and ocean, preserving this deep sense of tranquility and gentleness. (Some scenes are fast-forwarded) (Source: China Manned Space Engineering Office) Weibo video about dreaming in the sky”

Source: https://m.weibo.cn/status/Q1j4YcEXT

** Hurricane Erin Seen From International Space Station – 8-19-2025 | NASA Video

The International Space Station flew 260 miles over Hurricane Erin at 11:41 a.m. EDT Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. External cameras on the orbiting laboratory captured views of the hurricane as it traveled northwest through the Caribbean with maximum sustained wind speeds of 105 mph. Hurricane Erin is not expected to make landfall and is projected to move between the U.S. East coast and Bermuda before heading out into the Atlantic Ocean.

** Cities by the Bay | NASA – Aug.21.2025

A photo of California’s San Francisco Bay Area surrounded by the cities of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, and their suburbs on Aug. 3, 2025. Taken by NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers from the International Space Station 260 miles above the Golden State. Credits: NASA

** Huge upward shooting lightning sprite spotted from ISS:

** Live Video from the International Space Station (Official NASA Stream) | NASA

Watch live video from the International Space Station, including inside views when the crew aboard the space station is on duty. Views of Earth are also streamed from an external camera located outside of the space station. During periods of signal loss due to handover between communications satellites, a blue screen is displayed.

The space station orbits Earth about 250 miles (425 kilometers) above the surface. An international partnership of five space agencies from 15 countries operates the station, and it has been continuously occupied since November 2000. It’s a microgravity laboratory where science, research, and human innovation make way for new technologies and research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. More: https://go.nasa.gov/3CkVtC8

Did you know you can spot the station without a telescope? It looks like a fast-moving star, but you have to know when to look up. Sign up for text messages or email alerts to let you know when (and where) to spot the station and wave to the crew: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov

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ISS after undocking of STS-132

=== Amazon Ads ===

Lego Ideas International Space Station
Toy Blocks, Present, Space, Boys, Girls, Ages 16 and Up

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Outpost in Orbit:
A Pictorial & Verbal History of the Space Station

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