Space Architecture News

MIT's rocket horizon project reimagines spaceX starship HLS as sustainable lunar habitats

Thomai Tsimpou | 26 August 2024 | designboom

Rocket Horizon, led by a team from MIT, represents a pioneering interdisciplinary effort to create sustainable lunar habitats. This project blends architectural innovation with advanced technology and robust engineering solutions, drawing on the expertise of MIT’s Department of Architecture, Media Lab, AeroAstro, and the Sloan School of Management. More

Aurelia Institute designs geodesic spacecraft for "leading good lives" in orbit

MIT's rocket horizon project reimagines spaceX starship HLS as sustainable lunar habitats

Ellen Eberhardt | 13 August 2024 | dezeen

Boston non-profit Aurelia Institute has created a pavilion showcasing its self-assembling geodesic dome, designed to allow space professionals and the general public to "lead good lives" in zero gravity. A continuation of Aurelia Institute co-founder Ariel Ekblaw's PhD thesis at MIT, TESSERAE aims to enrich the quality of life for space farers by providing larger living spaces and interior design elements, such as an inflatable couch. More

Six visions of the future at Sydney Design Week

MIT's rocket horizon project reimagines spaceX starship HLS as sustainable lunar habitats

Six visions of the future at Sydney Design Week

Christina Yao | 17 September2024 | dezeen

Projects by architects Sumayya Vally and David Gianotten are among this year's Sydney Design Week highlights, chosen by curators Keinton Butler and Amaia Sánchez-Velasco.

Curated by Powerhouse Museum senior curator Keinton Butler and architect Amaia Sánchez-Velasco, Sydney Design Week this year invited a selection of architects, designers and artists to share their visions of alternative futures. More

Max Space’s Inflatable space habitats

Hassell Unveils Lunar Habitat Masterplan, Aiming to Revolutionize Interstellar Living

Six visions of the future at Sydney Design Week

Matthew Burgos | 30 April 2024 | designboom

Inflatable habitats and stations in outer space fascinate Aaron Kemmer and Maxim de Jong of Max Space, enough to propel them into decades-long research which has now resulted in expandable architecture that can grow as big as stadiums outside Earth. These inflatable pressure vessels are tightly packed and stowed on a rocket before they get deployed in space, slowly becoming high-strength, rigid architecture as the air flows in. More

Genesis v.2 is an adaptable, sustainable prototype for a housing colony on mars

Hassell Unveils Lunar Habitat Masterplan, Aiming to Revolutionize Interstellar Living

Naz Kaplan | 07 February 2024 | designboom

Architects burak celik, naz kaplan, and zeynep ege odabasi unveil ‘genesis v.2’, an extraterrestrial design prototype for a housing colony on Mars. within the framework of building a sustainable system that is able to respond to the current and upcoming conditions on the red planet, the project establishes an adaptable structure that might adjust to new colonization scenarios for mars. More

Hassell Unveils Lunar Habitat Masterplan, Aiming to Revolutionize Interstellar Living

Nour Fakharan | 05 February 2024 | Archdaily

Last week, Hassell revealed the Lunar Habitat Masterplan, a modular concept for a moon base. Developed in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) and Cranfield University, the project aims to contribute to the formation of the first permanent human settlement on the moon. Various renowned architects have previously contributed to space exploration through architecture. More

Space perspective completes prototype balloon capsule to test carbon-neutral space flights

window-seat toilet with spa? space perspective got it covered for tourists flying out of Earth

Space perspective completes prototype balloon capsule to test carbon-neutral space flights

Christina Petridou | 23 December 2023 | designboom

Space Perspective reveals the first images of Spaceship Neptune, a prototype balloon capsule designed for tourism flights beyond Earth’s orbit. Their next test flight, labeled Flight 2, will integrate the newly developed capsule alongside the spherical module, reserve descent system, and SpaceBalloon. Building upon the success of Flight 1, where a capsule simulator ventured into space in 2021, the team has dedicated efforts to designing and manufacturing a pressurized capsule. More

An elevator that can transport travelers and cargo from ocean to space

window-seat toilet with spa? space perspective got it covered for tourists flying out of Earth

Space perspective completes prototype balloon capsule to test carbon-neutral space flights

Matthew Burgos | 18 January 2024 | designboom

Foster + Partners’ concept artist and architect Jordan William Hughes designs an elevator that can transport travelers and cargo from the ocean to space. The conceptual artworks, designed without the use of AI, combine an ocean-based space elevator with a multipurpose spaceport. More

window-seat toilet with spa? space perspective got it covered for tourists flying out of Earth

Matthew Burgos | 19 October 2023 | designboom

Space Perspective’s carbon-neutral spaceflight attempt will bring tourists on Earth to the edge of outer space using Spaceship Neptune or a pressurized capsule in the shape of a hot air balloon.In the new custom-designed restroom that Space Perspective unveiled, all of these are packed in one well-lit capsule toilet with a scenic view of the Earth. More

Open Architecture designs "extraterrestrial-looking" space museum in China

Virgin Galactic to fly first passengers to space this June with monthly commercial flights after

window-seat toilet with spa? space perspective got it covered for tourists flying out of Earth

Amy Peacock | 20 September 2023 | dezeen Chinese studio Open Architecture has revealed its design for a space museum and experience centre in Yantai, China, which will appear like a mysterious black object in an oceanfront park. More

Virgin Galactic to fly first passengers to space this June with monthly commercial flights after

Matthew Burgos | 16 June 2023 | designboom

After a series of successful test flights to space, Virgin Galactic has finally decided to start its commercial flights from Earth to space, beginning June 27th, 2023. There will be two spaceflight missions first before Virgin Galactic opens its monthly commercial flights around August 2023. More

Zephalto's space balloon will take you on a voyage to the stratosphere in 2024

Virgin Galactic to fly first passengers to space this June with monthly commercial flights after

Lea Zeitoun | 23 April 2023 | designboom

‘Embark on the most pristine spaceship of the 21st century‘, writes Zephalto, a French company exploring new and daring solutions for space travel. The spaceship in question, ‘Celeste’, will be lifted by a low-carbon balloon, taking ambitious travelers on a groundbreaking voyage across Earth’s stratosphere. More

Space Architecture proposals

Lunar Capsule by Cosmo Render

ROMA: Moon Village with Recreational and Research Approach

Amazing Architecture | Dilshod Shripov

Architectural concept, for 2 astronauts to live on the surface of the moon. There's no atmosphere on the moon, and enormous temperature variations, reaching plus 127 during the day, dropping to minus 173 after sunset. High doses of cosmic rays and solar radiation are detrimental to humans and living organisms. More

ROMA: Moon Village with Recreational and Research Approach

Amazing Architecture | Mahdi Eghbali Amlashi

Designed by Mahdi Eghbali Amlashi, the purpose of this project is to establish a moon village with recreational and research approach which planned for the next two or three decades that has the capacity to accept 100 people in limited time periods that include researchers, tourists, engineers of various sciences, etc. in the age range of 18-60 years with favorable physical conditions. More

Moontopia Lunar architecture

ROMA: Moon Village with Recreational and Research Approach

Interstellar lab designs self-sustainable biopods with 3DEXPERIENCE

DESIGN BUILDINGS

Moontopia was an international challenge exploring design-led solutions for space architecture. Students, architects, designers, artists, academics and scientists from around the world were asked to propose visions for a self-sufficient lunar colony for living, working, researching and space tourism.

The judges included space-architects, academics and NASA designers. More

Interstellar lab designs self-sustainable biopods with 3DEXPERIENCE

By: Tim Spears I designboom

Interstellar Lab is on a mission to build a future full of life on Earth, Mars, and beyond through sustainable design, engineering, and agronomy. Single BioPods as well as large, modular village-like communities are set to land on our planet and in space in the near future. These self-sustainable creations are environmentally-controlled, closed-loop modules, able to create ideal conditions for plants to grow efficiently everywhere, and offer the possibilities to expand in number. More

VARIABLE GRAVITY SPACE STATION PROTOTYPE AND TESTBED

Interstellar lab designs self-sustainable biopods with 3DEXPERIENCE

VARIABLE GRAVITY SPACE STATION PROTOTYPE AND TESTBED

By: David Nixon PhD RIBA FRAS

The present human exploration focus on missions to the Moon and Mars is diverting attention away from the need to begin work on a successor to the International Space Station. ISS is likely to be terminated later this decade and an international debate on what should succeed it is overdue. More

Exploring Space Colonization through Architecture

Interstellar lab designs self-sustainable biopods with 3DEXPERIENCE

VARIABLE GRAVITY SPACE STATION PROTOTYPE AND TESTBED

By: Evan Rawn (14th Feb)

Long after earth’s first journey to the moon, the idea of space colonization has continued to fascinate us. It is a subject repeated in countless science fiction works and even architectural proposals. For designers, this new frontier is seen as a tantalizing subject for exploration and will likely generate entirely new typologies for inhabitation. More

Five design proposals for the Smithsonian’s Bezos Learning Center

By: Kristine Klein (08th Sept)

Just a little over a year after he was blasted into the heavens aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard, a major element of billionaire space tourist and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s record-breaking $200 million donation to the Smithsonian Institution to revamp the National Air and Space Museum is starting to take shape. More

Hestia Lunar Habitat

Five design proposals for the Smithsonian’s Bezos Learning Center

By: Lucy Zakharova (30th Jan)

The exterior structure is designed to maintain a stable internal temperature and atmosphere, which is necessary for the well-being and survival of the crew. Its architecture creates a pressurized environment around inhabitable volume, protecting astronauts from the extreme temperatures and harsh conditions of the lunar surface More

Nishakara - helium-3 research lunar camp

Five design proposals for the Smithsonian’s Bezos Learning Center

Nishakara - helium-3 research lunar camp

By: Jakub Pietryszyn

Moon is our gateway to the outer space that is why we chose it as a helium-3 research facility. helium-3 is a gas that can be processed into fuel which will be needed to travel further and further. More

Lunar Landing Pad

Architecture for Outer Space

Nishakara - helium-3 research lunar camp

By: SEArch+

The SUNFLOWER VAULT Lunar landing pad schematic design concept for 3D printed Lunar Settlement with associated infrastructure as part of the NASA-MSFC led Pioneering “Olympus’ Lunar Base project. More

Lunar Lantern

Architecture for Outer Space

By: SEArch+

ICON, a developer of advanced construction technologies including robotics, software and building materials, partnered with SEArch+ to work with NASA on the development of a space-based construction system to support future exploration of the Moon. More

Architecture for Outer Space

2022 | University of Washington

The University of Washington Department of Architecture has a long list of notable alumni working on exciting projects that push the limits of the built environment. More

Articles

Companies looking to the moon, Mars and beyond…

Kieron Marchese | designwanted

From lunar habitats to in-flight activity sets—in honour of World Space Week, we’re highlighting the companies doing the most when it comes to space design and exploration.

As design enthusiasts, we love a good “week”. There’s Milan Design Week, which happened in September and Dutch Design Week, which is later this last month, then there’s also London Design Festival, Design Miami, Dubai Design Week. More

Blueprint for an In-Space Community

Companies looking to the moon, Mars and beyond…

Jeffrey Manber | SPACENEWS

Privately owned space stations, backed by investors and strategic partners, will soon be a reality. Implemented correctly, a dramatic new era of in-space manufacturing, research, entertainment, and tourism will be unleashed.

NASA has declared 2030 as the end date for the International Space Station (ISS). To kick off this new era, Congress has provided initial funding to stimulate the development of these next-generation space stations. More

CAAS City As A Spaceship

Companies looking to the moon, Mars and beyond…

Maybe in Your Lifetime, People Will Live on the Moon and Then Mars

CAAS

CAAS is a new way of thinking about humans and their relationships with their habitats, transporters and their environment, an intelligent way of designing future cities, such that each city can be composed of small, spaceship like closed-loop eco-systems where most resources the city consumes, are produced locally, in-situ, leveraging the power of technology to reap efficiencies through sub-systems that plug into mega grids, to share excesses, while not sacrificing self-sufficiency, or the ability to decouple from ‘the city’ in the event of a crisis. This urban philosophy can lead to the design of future cities that could exemplify what Buckminster Fuller meant with “Spaceship Earth”. More

Maybe in Your Lifetime, People Will Live on the Moon and Then Mars

Space Architecture: Bold Fiction or Impending Reality of the 21st Century

Maybe in Your Lifetime, People Will Live on the Moon and Then Mars

By: Debra Kamin | TheNewYorkTimes

The moon is a magnet, and it is pulling us back. Half a century ago, the astronauts of Apollo 17 spent three days on that pockmarked orb, whose gravitational pull tugs not just on our oceans but our imaginations. For 75 hours, the astronauts moonwalked in their spacesuits and rode in a lunar rover, with humanity watching on television sets 240,000 miles away. More

Space Architecture: Bold Fiction or Impending Reality of the 21st Century

By: Sneha J Uttarkar | TheDesignGesture

In times where space is up and open for commercial travel and exploration, we have to ask ourselves, is the new space race leaning towards colonization? If so, by what time will we be able to set our mark on fellow planets and raise our kids in various G’s? More

Mega architecture concepts: is this the key to shaping our urban future?

Space Architecture: Bold Fiction or Impending Reality of the 21st Century

By: Lita Lūse | designwanted

We often hear that size doesn’t matter. But there are instances when bigger is better and certainly more impressive, this is the idea behind these mega architecture concepts selection. Whether that means building tall skyscrapers or unbelievably long structures, today’s architects and designers are looking for ways to stand out in the ever-changing industry. More

Spaceflight Architecture

Space Architecture: Projects Beyond The Earth

By: NASA

Decades before a space mission happens, space architects spend years iterating the designs and plans for each component to the finest detail possible. For human spaceflight, this means everything from the ground systems and rockets, to the space suits and habitation requirements to keep astronauts healthy and productive in space. More

Space Architecture: Projects Beyond The Earth

By: COMPAC | The Decorative Surfaces

Living off-world has always been a fantasy, albeit one that could be closer than we imagined. But, would it be possible to design a house on Mars? And on the moon? Some architects have no doubt when it comes to offering solutions. More