Nextstep NRA award. This contract involves development and demonstration of a hybrid life support systems (HLSS) that will enable operationally efficient and effective exploration environmental…

This federal contract award, valued at $6,457,127.41, was issued by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to Sierra Space Corporation for the development and demonstration of a Hybrid Life Support System (HLSS). The HLSS aims to enable more efficient and effective exploration environmental control and life support systems through the integration of physical/chemical and bio-regenerative technologies. The goal is to increase resource recovery from 25-50% up to 50-85%, reducing the total mission mass and cost for sustained long-duration human missions. This contract is part of NASA's NEXTSTEP program and involves a phased approach, including ground development, International Space Station and low-Earth orbit testing, and eventual demonstrations in deep space environments. The contract does not have a set-aside designation. Key subcontractors include Zero Gravity Corporation, which will provide parabolic flight testing and microgravity research support services. This contract aligns with NASA's exploration and human spaceflight objectives, focusing on advancing life support technologies to enable extended missions beyond low-Earth orbit.

Nextstep NRA award. This contract involves development and demonstration of a hybrid life support systems (HLSS) that will enable operationally efficient and effective exploration environmental control and life support systems through hybrid technologies that can be evolved to meet long-duration life support requirements for sustained habitation at much lower life cycle costs. Current state-of-the-art technology being flown on the ISS allows for only 25-50 percent resource recovery depending upon the resource in question, whether oxygen, water, or carbon. Strategically and operationally valuable bioregenerative capability that combines water recycling, air revitalization, food augmentation and radiation protection increases total system closure to an estimated 50-85 percent resource recovery, and decreases the total mission mass and thereby cost-effectively extending sustainable long-duration human missions. The HLSS integrates nominal PIC life support for transitional short durations augmented with biologically based life support to extend mission durations to years with minimal resupply. The smaller physicavchemical system also provides backup and safe haven capabilities. Orbitec proposes a stepwise demonstration of the HLSS that rapidly evolves current systems and capabilities into long duration life support applicable to several exploration support module configurations: phase I ground development, component, subsystem, and sub scale systems phase IT ISS and LEO sortie tests, subsystem, subscale system testing phase ground-based HLSS test bed, full scale integrated testing phase N LEO and/or cislunar test beds phase V deep space full scale demonstrator the HLSS integrates established physicavchemical (PIC) life support components as a base capability with bioproduction (bid) systems for water and atmosphere processing and food augmentation, bringing reductions in total mass launched for long-duration missions. The BIO system enables a smaller PIC system and provides resupply savings that have cost savings advantages for any sustained human operation that is greater than one year, -making the HLSS relevant for continuous LEO operations, cislunar and mars transit missions in addition to planetary surface or deep space missions. The improved cost effectiveness would be greatly attractive to commercial providers to LEO and other destinations. This initial effort will fully assess the options, performance, and reliability of HLSS for various mission scenarios based on prior ground-based testing and current biological flight systems including veggie, the first food production system to be demonstrated on ISS. In the near term, HLSS would result in food augmentation, providing fresh food for health and psychological benefits, and increased water recycling and atmosphere revitalization, off-loading demands on a smaller PIC system, ultimately reducing power, mass, and maintenance needs. Concepts of HLSS operation will be defined for candidate exploration augmentation modules and for various mission classes, and used to conduct trade analyses using an in-house modeling program that allows PIC and bid life support subsystems and components to be analyzed as part of an integrated life support system. Activities will include a demonstration of expanded bioproduction flight systems within orbitec's existing controlled environment facilities.