In Space Infrastructure, Living in Space, Space Settlement

Space habitation report – Jan.2.2026

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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

** Step Inside the International Space Station (POV Tour)  | NASA

What’s it like to float through the International Space Station?

Come along with us for a guided tour! Our astronauts in low Earth orbit recorded this tour on Oct. 10, 2022, while NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 and Crew-5 missions were aboard.

As you glide through the ISS, pop-ups will appear highlighting each part of the station and what it’s used for—wrapping up with a view of Earth and space through SpaceX’s Dragon capsule. If you’d like even more information, visit our NASA Johnson YouTube account for a version of this video with audio commentary by astronauts Nicole Mann and Kjell Lindgren: • Tour the International Space Station: 25 Y…

For more than 25 years, humans have been living and working on the International Space Station 24/7, helping us learn how to live in space (and prepare for missions to the Moon and Mars) while doing scientific research to make life better back on Earth.

Learn more about the International Space Station: https://www.nasa.gov/iss
Follow daily updates from the station: https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation

** How Do Astronauts Unwind in Space?  |  NASA Johnson

After busy workdays aboard the International Space Station, crew members need time to relax and de-stress. From playing musical instruments and exercising to taking photos of our home planet, watch how astronauts practice some of their favorite hobbies 250 miles above Earth.

** Connecting Classrooms to Space: Ham Radio Explainer by NASA Astronaut Nichole Ayers |  NASA Johnson

ARISS (Amateur Radio on the ISS). In this video, NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers walks through the step-by-step p rocess of setting up a live ham radio contact, showing how schools and organizations bridge the gap between Earth and orbit. Learn how amateur radio technology makes these inspiring conversations possible and why ham radio is a powerful tool for sparking curiosity about STEM and space exploration.

Learn more about ham radio in space: https://go.nasa.gov/3T3QHBk

** BBC documentary podcast on the construction of the ISS: United in space: How we built the ISS | BBC Audio – The Documentary Podcast – Dec.21.2025 (50 minutes)

Celebrating 25 unbroken years of humans living in space, former international director of the UK Space Agency Dr Alice Bunn charts how nations put aside differences to create the ultimate symbol of human ingenuity and collaboration – a space station orbiting our planet that has been home to more than 300 people from 24 different nations.

Using mission control audio, news archive and personal stories, Alice illuminates acts of epic survival, humour and selflessness that made the station a reality. She investigates why a near fatal disaster on the Russian Mir space station spurred nations to commit to the ISS, and reveals how a Moscow basement and Hollywood royalty sparked bonding between Russians and Americans. She also discovers how quick thinking and plastic tape saved the station, allowing it to grow to the size of a football pitch, and how one astronaut came within seconds of drowning in space.

Looking into the future, Alice explores how the legacy of the ISS will be carried on by a new generation of private space stations, which have the power to push back the boundaries of science for the good of all humanity. The reduced gravity offers enormous possibilities, including creating materials impossible to create on Earth.

=== Commercial space habitats

** Axiom Space

— 2025 Axiom Space Recap | Axiom Space Youtube

2025 marked significant achievements for #AxiomStation and #AxEMU and continued success with our 4th human spaceflight mission to the ISS – #Ax4. As we look back and reflect, we look forward to what comes next for #TeamAxiom : https://www.axiomspace.com/news/year-…

— Using Virtual Reality to design the station:

— Axiom tests thruster system:

— Axiom article: Hungary’s 4iG to Invest $100 Million in Axiom Space | European Spaceflight – Dec.22.2025

** Max Space 

— Thunderbird Station | Max Space on Youtube

See how Max Space’s Thunderbird Station launches compactly and expands 20x once deployed in space, greatly increasing habitable volume while radically reducing the cost per m3. This is an evolutionary leap in space real estate for LEO, Moon and Mars.

** Starlab – Voyager Technologies

— 2025 year in review:

— Starlab on X:

** VAST

— 2025 year in review:

— Vast gets NASA and SpaceX veteran as advisor:

— Haven-1 Docking Fit Check | VAST Youtube

Docking is one of the most critical and complex parts of building a space station. In October, we completed a successful docking adaptor fit check, marking another key milestone toward launch. Haven-1’s fully tested passive docking adapter, built to international docking system standards and likely the first-ever manufactured for a commercial station, will enable precise crew-vehicle docking.

=== Chinese space habitats

— Shenzhou-21 Crew Smoothly Push for Experiments in Multiple Fields | CCTV Video News Agency

Almost two months into their mission, the Shenzhou-21 crew have been smoothly pushing for experiments in multiple domains aboard China’s Tiangong space station.

— Mice aboard the China Space Station | SciNews

According to the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), four mice were sent into space with the Shenzhou-21 (神舟二十一) crewed spacecraft on 31 October 2025, were housed in a specialised habitat on the China Space Station (中国空间站), and returned to Earth on 14 November 2025, along with the Shenzhou-20 (神舟二十) crew on the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft. Since returning, a female mouse has successfully given birth to healthy offspring. Credit: Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)/China Central Television (CCTV)

** Hotel Mars presents Rick Fish on Chinese space safety concerns due to stranded Taikonauts on a recent Chinese Space Station mission | John Batchelor and Dr. David M. Livingston of The Space Show +

Broadcast 4468, Wednesday, December 3, 2025

Read on Substack

— Chinese company developing inflatable space habitats:

** More China space habitation news, articles, etc:

=== Space habitation – General

** NSS | The Future of Space Stations: Building Humanity’s Neighborhood in the Stars with Isaac Arthur |  National Space Society on Youtube

From the ISS to the next generation of commercial and deep-space habitats, humanity is building a permanent presence in orbit—our first real neighborhood among the stars.

** BRYCE MEYER – space farming, space food & nutrition | The Space Show – Dec.9.2025

The Space Show present BRYCE MEYER discussing space farming, space food & nutrition, and his new book. by Dr. David M. Livingston

Broadcast 4472; Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025

Read on Substack

See also an interview with Bryce Meyer in AI networks for space settlements | Space Settlement Progress – Oct.1.2025.

— Geothermal Power on Icy Worlds: Energy Infrastructure | Ken Wisian | IRG 2025 | Interstellar Research Group on Youtube

As humanity pushes deeper into the solar system and eventually toward interstellar space, reliable long term power infrastructure becomes a critical challenge.

In this IRG 2025 Symposium talk, geophysicist Ken Wisian explores the potential of geothermal energy as a durable, low maintenance power source for planetary bodies and moons far beyond the reach of efficient solar power. Drawing on decades of terrestrial geothermal experience and emerging research in closed loop systems, Wisian outlines how subsurface oceans on icy moons could be tapped to generate continuous electrical power.

The talk compares geothermal energy to traditional deep space power sources such as radioisotope thermoelectric generators, solar panels, and nuclear reactors, highlighting geothermal’s advantages including indefinite operational lifetime, minimal logistics requirements, and scalability. Wisian presents conceptual designs for drilling through ice crusts to subsurface oceans on bodies such as Europa, Enceladus, and other icy moons, leveraging temperature differentials of more than 150 degrees Celsius.

This presentation also examines engineering challenges including drilling techniques, melt probes, directed energy drilling, working fluid selection, thermoelectric versus turbine based power generation, planetary protection concerns, and the role geothermal power could play in future communication nodes, scientific outposts, and interstellar infrastructure.

Learn more about the Interstellar Research Group and upcoming symposia at https://irg.space

— Feeding an Interstellar Generation Ship: Space Agriculture & Life Support| Boris Petrovic | IRG 2025 | Interstellar Research Group on Youtube

How do you feed, sustain, and grow a human population on a multi century interstellar journey?

In this IRG 2025 Symposium talk, Boris Petrovic presents a detailed simulation and systems level approach to feeding future space settlers aboard a hypothetical interstellar generational ship. Drawing on NASA life support data, hydroponic agriculture, algae bioreactors, and closed loop environmental control systems, this work explores how a fully plant based food system could support a crew growing from hundreds to nearly one thousand people over a 250 year mission.

The talk walks through population dynamics, resource constraints, crop rotation models, hydroponic rack design, oxygen and carbon dioxide recycling, water reuse, and energy requirements. Petrovic also discusses how these systems could be applied not only to interstellar missions, but to Mars settlements, low Earth orbit habitats, and future commercial space stations.

This presentation offers a rare quantitative look at food production, life support, and biosphere engineering as foundational challenges for long duration human spaceflight.

=== Lunar habitation

** Lunar Mining and Helium-3 Extraction | Ian Crawford | Tim Ventura on Youtube

Are we on the verge of a “lunar gold rush”? Prof. Ian Crawford discusses lunar mining for Helium-3, rare earths & precious metals and we explore the challenges involved with lunar resource extraction.

Dr. Ian Crawford is a Professor of Planetary Science and Astrobiology at Birkbeck, University of London, where he also serves as Programme Director for Planetary Exploration with Astronomy and Astrobiology.

Professor Crawford’s work sits at the intersection of lunar science and exploration, astrobiology, and the long-term future of space exploration and development. He’s been directly involved in lunar remote-sensing missions — including as a co-investigator on the D-CIXS X-ray spectrometer that orbited the Moon on ESA’s SMART-1 mission, and as chair of the Science Team for the C1XS instrument that flew on India’s Chandrayaan-1 mission.

Professor Crawford’s work sits at the intersection of lunar science and exploration, astrobiology, and the long-term future of space exploration and development. He earned a B.Sc. in Astronomy from University College London in 1982, and a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from UCL in 1988.

=== Mars habitation

** Science recommendations from National Academy for initial Mars missions:

=== Other space habitat and settlement news and articles:

=== Earth views from ISS

** ISS Timelapse – From Accra to Baku by Night (19 Oct 2025) | AstronautiCAST 

… Original timelapse by Riccardo Rossi (ISAA) – Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License –
Raw photos courtesy of http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/archive

Music: Natural Harmony by Nargo – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivative 4.0 International License –
https://www.jamendo.com/track/2009502…

Starting from approximately 1800 photographs taken from the International Space Station by Kimiya Yui on October 19th, we created this #timelapse.

This is a nocturnal #ISS flyover from the Gulf of Guinea to the Caspian Sea. Following the lights of the coastal cities in Cameroon and Nigeria, you will notice the darkness of the desert areas in Chad and Libya; the view lights up again once we reach Egypt.

The frame rate of the photographs in this timelapse is not regular, but we decided to share the sequence with you anyway.

The video covers a timeframe of 20 minutes, and is therefore accelerated by approximately 4 times compared to the Station’s real speed.

** An Auroral view from the 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

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

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