Increasing Opportunities for CubeSat Launch from the Space Station

The NanoRacks Airlock Module will be the first ever commercial airlock on the International Space Station. The Airlock will offer 5 times the deployment volume compared to current Airlock capabilities available on the Space Station. NanoRacks has partnered with Boeing and Thales Alenia Space on manufacturing key elements of the airlock.

The NanoRacks Airlock Module will be the first-ever commercial airlock on the International Space Station. The Airlock will offer 5-times the deployment volume compared to current Airlock capabilities available on the Space Station. NanoRacks has partnered with Boeing and Thales Alenia Space on manufacturing key elements of the airlock.

Media Credit: NanoRacks

The NanoRacks Space Station Airlock Module successfully completed its Critical Design Review and is now transitioning from engineering design into the fabrication phase, with a planned deployment on the International Space Station in 2019. The new airlock—a module used to transfer payloads between the interior and exterior of the space station—will be the first commercially operated airlock on the ISS and will increase capabilities and opportunities for CubeSat launch from the space station.

To date, nearly 200 CubeSats (small cube-shaped satellites used for research, communications, and Earth observation missions) have been launched into low Earth orbit from the ISS.

NanoRacks In-space Services

NanoRacks also announced that they have been awarded a contract with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Professional Services Schedule (00CORP). As a services provider under this contract, NanoRacks is able to provide its customer-driven in-space services to federal agencies at a pre-negotiated fixed rate.