Instarz goes to infinity and beyond with its proposed lunar home

Contxto – You may think we’re decades away from living on the moon. But, what if I told you that we’re closer than you think?

While NASA and other countries develop grandiose technology to explore outer space, startups are just as active. Just take a look at the recently formed Puerto Rican startup Instarz. In the early stages, it aspires to build the world’s first self-sustaining moon habitat by the late 2020s.

We’re still learning more about this company, therefore, as soon as we get more information from the founders, we’ll update this article!

Snapshot

Description: Self-sustainable space habitat capable of holding eight astronauts for 12 months.
Country: Puerto Rico 
Industry: Space tech
Founders: Joshua Castro and Roberto Rodríguez
Founding Date: January 2018

What?  

Instarz is developing a lunar ecosystem that will allow humans to live on the moon in a completely self-sustainable way. These heavy-duty homes will be part of the Remnant series.

Specifically, each unit will be equipped to safeguard people against external harmful conditions. Anything that may be essential for a one-year stay in space will be available inside. Therefore, there won’t be any need for external provisions. 

Once the moon habitat is on the market, sources say it will be the basis for future Mars exploration missions. In terms of pricing, the startup calculates a budget of less than a billion dollars to design the habitat.  

How?

Clearly, innovation is all over this project. Only cutting edge technology will do the trick to equip the space capsule with everything it needs to sustain life. For starters, the habitat will need to be self-sustaining and capable of running on renewable energy. 

The closed-loop life support system will ensure that people can fully thrive in the Remnant for extended periods of time. Up to eight astronauts can inhabit this moon home with the possibility to stay put for one year. 

Also, its design will allow would-be moon travelers to assemble the shelter themselves. There will even be enough space for a five-meter vehicle for external exploration.

Why?

The reasons why this idea came to be is clearly stated on their website:

Remnant was born with the purpose to become the foundation of a new home for mankind. This is only one of the firsts steps required towards making humans an interplanetary species.

Research on the project will shine new light on how the human body adapts to hostile space environments in addition to low gravitational levels. In terms of collective knowledge, the combined years of scientific experience among team members is over 100.

Story

Instarz began in January 2018, announcing the Remnant project the following month. During the same year at the International Space Development Conference (ISDC), the startup announced for the first time its lunar habitat concept. 

There, the company received important feedback and information to implement the plans and build the project. It was during that summer that the first generation of interns got to Instarz to work on the habitat. 

Status

Recently, the startup transferred from a coworking space to a bigger office in the center of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. At this stage, its operations consist of concept studies and research. If you are curious about what the Remnant will look like, check out this augmented reality model.

Business Model

Instarz is divided into three different braches. 

Sustainability: Here is where the research and development of sustainable technologies take place. Its main purpose is to preserve life on the Remnant. 

Awareness: The company aspires to be an inspiration for younger people. This branch is in charge of public interest, merchandise, as well as workshops.

Space Technology: This is the area where big projects, like the Remnant, take place. Not only does this technology relate to lunar exploration but also Mars missions as well as military and humane purposes on Earth.

To lower costs, the company is based in Puerto Rico. The island’s low tax rates for research and development makes it the perfect place for such an innovative project. 

This way, local students from prestigious Puerto Rican universities have the opportunity to participate in the building of the Remnant. There’s no denying that this would be a great opportunity to learn and develop professionally. 

Now, when it comes to monetization, we’re still unsure of what their main revenue stream will be. We’re still awaiting a response on this subject.

Venture funding

Currently, Instarz is only in the seed funding stage. Tthis means that the founders are looking for investors to finance the first prototype to continue on to the developmental stage.

Future

According to its 2020 timeline, Instarz plans to continue working on the tech development stage and move on to the preliminary design stage by 2021. Between 2023 and 2026 the final design and fabrication should be ready. Assembling and testing will then follow suit. Finally, founders want to launch the Remnant by 2028.

Thoughts

Living on the moon once sounded like something from a science fiction novel, yet this is a real possibility thanks to co-founders Joshua Castro and Roberto Rodríguez.

However, if this company is successful, there’s no doubt that it could potentially change the world. Besides being a scientific milestone, this could also be a solution for the survival of humankind. After all, nothing compares to living on the moon. 

We contacted Instarz in order to clarify some of the info and are still waiting for a response.

-CZ