NASA awarded hundreds of millions of dollars to three companies to develop commercial space stations that will eventually replace the International Space Station, which is set to retire around the end of this decade.

For the development of their orbital outposts, Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, the aerospace company Nanoracks and Northrop Grumman won contracts worth $130 million, $160 million and $125.6 million, respectively.

An earlier $140 million contract was awarded to a fourth company, Axiom Space.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/all-aboard-these-companies-are-building-spacecraft-to-send-people-to-space-377036">All aboard! These companies are building spacecraft to send people to space</a>&nbsp;

In order to cut costs and focus on its ambitious goals, the US space agency has increasingly turned to private industry to develop hardware it once made itself. NASA's goals include building habitats on the Moon and preparing for a crewed mission to Mars.

"We are partnering with US companies to develop the space destinations where people can visit, live, and work, enabling NASA to continue forging a path in space for the benefit of humanity while fostering commercial activity in space," said NASA chief Bill Nelson in a statement.

"These awards will help ensure the United States has a continuous human presence" in low Earth orbit, said Phil McAlister, NASA's director of commercial spaceflight. "A gap would be bad."

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The companies have not given an estimate of how much the space stations will cost to develop, but they have unveiled their plans.

However, McCalister said NASA would not contribute more than 40 per cent of the funding to the projects.

"The sum invested today by NASA to launch this program is small compared to the money that will be required," said Brent Sherwood, Blue Origin's senior vice president of advanced development programs.

As part of a collaboration with Sierra Space, Blue Origin is creating Orbital Reef, which will eventually house 10 people. Microgravity research and manufacturing will be carried out in the "mixed-use business park in space".

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/jeff-bezos-firm-blue-origin-unveils-plan-to-build-commercial-space-station-424048">Jeff Bezos firm Blue Origin unveils plan to build commercial space station</a>

Developed with Voyager Space and Lockheed Martin, Nanoracks' space station will be called "Starlab."

Nanoracks aims to be operational in 2027 and will include a biology lab, plant habitation lab, a physical science and materials research lab, and an open workbench area.

Northrop Grumman, which developed a cargo delivery system called Cygnus, currently supports the International Space Station by making deliveries. It plans to build its own station module by module. This will ensure that science, tourism, and industrial experimentation will all be included.

Watch |&nbsp;Blue Origin unveils plans for Orbital Reef, a 'business park' in outer space

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Twenty-one years have passed since the first long-term residents were welcomed to the space station. It has become a symbol of international cooperation, particularly between the US and Russia.

As of now, the International Space Station is rated safe until 2028, and new administrator Nelson has stated that he hopes it will last until 2030, by which time NASA wants the commercial sector to take the lead and replace it.

NASA awarded hundreds of millions of dollars to three companies to develop commercial space stations that will eventually replace the International Space Station, which is set to retire around the end of this decade.

NASA awarded hundreds of millions of dollars to three companies to develop commercial space stations that will eventually replace the International Space Station, which is set to retire around the end of this decade. For the development of their orbital outposts, Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, the aerospace company Nanoracks and Northrop Grumman won contracts worth $130 million, $160 million and $125.6 million, respectively. An earlier $140 million contract was awarded to a fourth company, Axiom Space. Also read | All aboard! These companies are building spacecraft to send people to space In order to cut costs and focus on its ambitious goals, the US space agency has increasingly turned to private industry to develop hardware it once made itself. NASA's goals include building habitats on the Moon and preparing for a crewed mission to Mars. "We are partnering with US companies to develop the space destinations where people can visit, live, and work, enabling NASA to continue forging a path in space for the benefit of humanity while fostering commercial activity in space," said NASA chief Bill Nelson in a statement. "These awards will help ensure the United States has a continuous human presence" in low Earth orbit, said Phil McAlister, NASA's director of commercial spaceflight. "A gap would be bad." Also read | Want to become a space tourist? Here is all you need to do The companies have not given an estimate of how much the space stations will cost to develop, but they have unveiled their plans. However, McCalister said NASA would not contribute more than 40 per cent of the funding to the projects. "The sum invested today by NASA to launch this program is small compared to the money that will be required," said Brent Sherwood, Blue Origin's senior vice president of advanced development programs. As part of a collaboration with Sierra Space, Blue Origin is creating Orbital Reef, which will eventually house 10 people. Microgravity research and manufacturing will be carried out in the "mixed-use business park in space". Also read | Jeff Bezos firm Blue Origin unveils plan to build commercial space station Developed with Voyager Space and Lockheed Martin, Nanoracks' space station will be called "Starlab." Nanoracks aims to be operational in 2027 and will include a biology lab, plant habitation lab, a physical science and materials research lab, and an open workbench area. Northrop Grumman, which developed a cargo delivery system called Cygnus, currently supports the International Space Station by making deliveries. It plans to build its own station module by module. This will ensure that science, tourism, and industrial experimentation will all be included. Watch | Blue Origin unveils plans for Orbital Reef, a 'business park' in outer space Twenty-one years have passed since the first long-term residents were welcomed to the space station. It has become a symbol of international cooperation, particularly between the US and Russia. As of now, the International Space Station is rated safe until 2028, and new administrator Nelson has stated that he hopes it will last until 2030, by which time NASA wants the commercial sector to take the lead and replace it.

Want to space travel? NASA awards $415.6 million for new space hubs where people can visit, live, work

Here's good news for all the space travellers who are also cookie lovers as they are successfully baked in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nasa-spacex-hope-for-manned-mission-to-international-space-station-in-early-2020-255078">international space station</a>.&nbsp;The cookies took two hours to bake, which is approximately 10 times more than the time taken to prepare them on the Earth.&nbsp;

NASA&nbsp;astronaut&nbsp;Christina Koch shared the news on Twitter.&nbsp;“We made space cookies and milk for Santa this year,” Koch tweeted.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
We made space cookies and milk for Santa this year. Happy holidays from the <a href="https://twitter.com/Space_Station?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Space_Station</a>! <a href="https://t.co/sZS4KdPmhj">pic.twitter.com/sZS4KdPmhj</a>
— Christina H Koch (@Astro_Christina) <a href="https://twitter.com/Astro_Christina/status/1210221515104563201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 26, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Interestingly, the bakers expected a different time in space but it was not that much different.&nbsp;

“There’s still a lot to look into to figure out really what’s driving that difference, but a cool result,” Mary Murphy, a manager for US-based Nanoracks, said this week. “Overall, I think it’s a pretty awesome first experiment.”

No one knows how the cookies&nbsp;taste, as they are still sealed in individual baking pouches and packed in their spaceflight container.&nbsp;They remain frozen in a Houston area lab. The cookies are said to be the first baked item in space from raw materials.&nbsp;

Nanoracks, located near <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-india-have-helped-in-greening-of-earth-nasa-report-196837">Nasa</a>'s Johnson Space Center designed and built a small electric oven that was launched in the space station in November last year. There are already five frozen cookies in the space.&nbsp;

An Italian astronaut Luca Parmtano, the mater baker in December noted down all the descriptions of how he baked the cookies one by one on the prototype Zero-G oven.

The first cookie was baked for 25 minutes at 300F, ended up under baked. The baker doubled the time of baking for the next two cookies, the result came out to be okayish but not great, according to Parmtano.&nbsp;

The fourth cookie was baked for 2 hours and was a 'success'. “So this time, I do see some browning,“ Parmitano radioed. “I can’t tell you whether it’s cooked all the way or not, but it certainly doesn’t look like cookie dough anymore.”

Parmtano baked the fifth cookie at 325F for 130 minutes and it was another success. No one can still tell how they taste but the baker said he can smell the fourth and the fifth one.&nbsp;

Mike Massimino, a former NASA astronaut mentioned that is was the only beauty of baking in space. Massimino is a teacher at Columbia University and is a paid spokesman for DoubleTree by Hilton. The hotel chain that provided the dough for the cookies. And was the same they offer to their guests.

“The remainder of the home, the connection with home, I think, can’t be overstated,” Massimino said. “From my personal experience ... food is pretty important for not just nutrition but also for morale in keeping people connected to their home and their Earth.”

One of the space-baked cookies has been offered to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum for display.

Nanoracks and Zero-G Kitchen, New York City startup who collaborated with the experiment, are looking forward to more experiments for the orbiting oven and more space appliances.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Baked cookies added the advantage of having fresh food in the space and astronauts can enjoy delicious items and avoid packaged food for a while.&nbsp;

Here's good news for all the space travellers who are also cookie lovers as they are successfully baked in the international space station. The cookies took two hours to bake, which is approximately 10 times more than the time taken to prepare them on the Earth.

Here's good news for all the space travellers who are also cookie lovers as they are successfully baked in the international space station. The cookies took two hours to bake, which is approximately 10 times more than the time taken to prepare them on the Earth. NASA astronaut Christina Koch shared the news on Twitter. “We made space cookies and milk for Santa this year,” Koch tweeted. We made space cookies and milk for Santa this year. Happy holidays from the @Space_Station! pic.twitter.com/sZS4KdPmhj — Christina H Koch (@Astro_Christina) December 26, 2019 × Interestingly, the bakers expected a different time in space but it was not that much different. “There’s still a lot to look into to figure out really what’s driving that difference, but a cool result,” Mary Murphy, a manager for US-based Nanoracks, said this week. “Overall, I think it’s a pretty awesome first experiment.” No one knows how the cookies taste, as they are still sealed in individual baking pouches and packed in their spaceflight container. They remain frozen in a Houston area lab. The cookies are said to be the first baked item in space from raw materials. Nanoracks, located near Nasa's Johnson Space Center designed and built a small electric oven that was launched in the space station in November last year. There are already five frozen cookies in the space. An Italian astronaut Luca Parmtano, the mater baker in December noted down all the descriptions of how he baked the cookies one by one on the prototype Zero-G oven. The first cookie was baked for 25 minutes at 300F, ended up under baked. The baker doubled the time of baking for the next two cookies, the result came out to be okayish but not great, according to Parmtano. The fourth cookie was baked for 2 hours and was a 'success'. “So this time, I do see some browning,“ Parmitano radioed. “I can’t tell you whether it’s cooked all the way or not, but it certainly doesn’t look like cookie dough anymore.” Parmtano baked the fifth cookie at 325F for 130 minutes and it was another success. No one can still tell how they taste but the baker said he can smell the fourth and the fifth one. Mike Massimino, a former NASA astronaut mentioned that is was the only beauty of baking in space. Massimino is a teacher at Columbia University and is a paid spokesman for DoubleTree by Hilton. The hotel chain that provided the dough for the cookies. And was the same they offer to their guests. “The remainder of the home, the connection with home, I think, can’t be overstated,” Massimino said. “From my personal experience ... food is pretty important for not just nutrition but also for morale in keeping people connected to their home and their Earth.” One of the space-baked cookies has been offered to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum for display. Nanoracks and Zero-G Kitchen, New York City startup who collaborated with the experiment, are looking forward to more experiments for the orbiting oven and more space appliances. Baked cookies added the advantage of having fresh food in the space and astronauts can enjoy delicious items and avoid packaged food for a while.

Space-baked cookies are up for grabs after testing astronauts patience

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