Blue Abyss has announced that it has completed the purchase of 12 acres of land in Brook Park, Ohio, that will be used to build an extreme environment research, development, and training centre.
The Blue Abyss Centre, which will also feature a hotel, will be built adjacent to the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, a stone’s throw away from NASA’s Glenn Research Center. Once complete, it will feature what the company is calling the world’s largest and deepest R&D pool, which will measure 40 by 50 metres with a 16-metre shaft plunging down to a depth of 50 metres. It will also feature a human centrifuge and hypobaric and hyperbaric chambers. The company will utilize the nearby airport to host parabolic flights, enabling microgravity research and training.
With the announcement of the completion of the land purchase, Mayor Edward Orcut was optimistic about what the project would mean for his city. “The road to the next generation of space exploration runs through Brook Park,” Orcut said.
According to Blue Abyss, construction of the facility will begin in the second half of 2024. The company is in the process of securing funding to complete the project. In response to questioning from European Spaceflight, Blue Abyss leadership appeared bullish that it is well on its way to securing the funding it needs to build the facility in Ohio.
In addition to its facility in the US, Blue Abyss is also building out a similar facility at its home base in Cornwall in the UK. While progress is being made, the company has been underwhelmed by the support the project has garnered.
“We continue to liaise with both Cornwall Council and wider UK government on our plans,” Blue Abyss CEO John Vickers told European Spaceflight. “It would be good for us if we were to see a little more support for initiatives such as ours, which are ultimately aimed at supporting numerous UK sectors.”
