Vienna Team Develops Foldable Mini Private Cabin for Space Missions

The possible uses are diverse: once set up, it is conceivable to use it on both short- and long-duration missions. It is also conceivable to convert the cabin into a mini-kitchen or a small hygiene room. Ventilation and lighting systems are already integrated; in addition, there is some storage space and a workstation.

Technical Specifications and Everyday Suitability

Because the floor measures only about one square meter, a sleeping arrangement in the form of a kind of sleeping bag is provided, attached to the wall. So you sleep in an upright position. Overall, the cabin weighs around 100 kilograms.

FLECS could also be integrated into space ferries that bring astronauts to the stations. Dutch and Italian industry partners were involved in implementing the concept.

Market Perspectives and Next Steps

According to Liquifer, the architecture platform is already in contact with potential customers, it was said to APA. Development is "sehr nahe am fertigen Produkt," as Waclavicek emphasized. Since several space stations for near-Earth and lunar use are currently "in verschiedenen Stadien der Entwicklung," Waclavicek said he was convinced.

The backdrop is the shift in crewed spaceflight: the aging International Space Station (ISS) will gradually be "von kommerziell betriebenen Raumstationen ergänzt oder abgelöst" in the near future. This is increasing the need for solutions for the very limited space on board – an issue the Vienna team says it has been working on for years.

In the next step, the development, which is "sehr nahe am fertigen Produkt," will be tested on a series of parabolic flights, during which weightlessness is simulated. This is intended to provide proof that the cabin can deploy reliably under real space conditions.

With FLECS, Liquifer is positioning itself in a growing market for commercial spaceflight infrastructure. Should the cabin pass the upcoming tests, it could be used both aboard the Lunar I-Hab and in other commercial stations and transport vehicles.