OHB and Sierra Space sign MOU for European use of the Orbital Reef space station

Colorado Springs/USA, 8. April 2022. The OHB Group has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with US aerospace company Sierra Space to explore opportunities for working together on the use of the new Orbital Reef space station. The memorandum of understanding was signed by Dr. Lutz Bertling, a member of the Management Board of OHB SE, and Tom Vice, CEO of Sierra Space, during the 37th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs.

Together with US space company Blue Origin and others, Sierra Space is developing and building the new commercial space station “Orbital Reef”, which will be operational in orbit from 2027 and could be a possible successor to the International Space Station ISS. With the MOU, OHB has secured the opportunity for using the station for European astronautical space travel and research. Another purpose of the partnership is to develop cost-effective and sustainable services for furthering German and European spaceflight. “Orbital Reef will provide the underpinnings for the future commercial use of near-earth space for materials research, bio-medicine, chemistry and similar applications,” says Lutz Bertling. “In particular, the communality with today’s ISS will ensure continuity in the research activities performed in microgravity.”