The NanoRacks External Platform (NREP) on the ISS. Photo: NanoRacks

[Via Satellite 08-12-2016] NanoRacks’ External Platform (NREP) has been attached to the outside of the International Space Station (ISS) on the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Exposed Facility, and is available for customers to use. The self-funded NREP is the first-ever commercial gateway-and-return to the extreme environment of space. Following the CubeSat form factor, payloads can experience the microgravity, radiation and other harsh elements native to the space environment, observe Earth, test sensors, materials, and electronics, and then be retrieved and returned back to Earth.

Airbus manufactured the External Platform, which NanoRacks counts as its first major step for owning and operating major commercial hardware in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO).

“With NREP, a customer can do just about anything they can with a free flyer, but now have the opportunity to return those materials to Earth at competitive prices and understand the effects of the space environment. This will completely transform the way we understand the true effects of microgravity,” said NanoRacks External Payloads Manager Kirk Woellert.